The 72nd Hunger Games
by phishfood03
Summary: 15 year old Alex Vice lives a normal life as a lumberjack in District 7. But what happens when it all turns around. The 72nd Hunger Games roll in, and when Alex volunteers for her sister, and everything goes wrong. She is taken to the Capitol to fight to the death with 23 other tributes. Allies will be made, friends will be killed. Will Alex survive? Complete!
1. Chapter 1-Home

I swung the axe against the tree. I pushed a strand of my black hair out of the way as I swung the axe again. The tree was barely holding on, one more swing and it would be down. I raised the axe above my head one more time and swung,

"Timber!" I shouted,

Everyone in the area of the falling pine tree move out of the way. A couple of my partners, Robert and Jonah, grabbed the tree and started to drag it off. Sweat beaded my forehead and my hands bled from sores. Every day starting at seven thirty in the morning, my boss would pick me up and drive us to today's location. My boss is Harry Fitzgerald, he's a middle-aged man with hairy arms and is very tall. He has a warm smile and comes to work every day in a plaid shirt and jeans. We've been working in this forest for weeks now and the tree I just cut down I've been working on for a week now. I rubbed my blisters and walked over to a new tree. I swung the axe hard against this tree. It barely made a dent. The axe I'm using has been in my family for over four generations, mom says that my great-grandfather had used this axe in the rebellion against the Capitol. This axe had such an exciting life before I did, and now it is only used to cut down trees.

This axe first belonged to my great-grandpa Erik. He was a soldier and a great man before he died sometime around the 25th Hunger Games. The it was passed down to my grandfather, Matthew. Matthew was apparently an amazing man, he would cut down wood for the poor and give it to them. He was kind of like Robin Hood, but with wood. He was given the axe at the age of seven when Erik died. He started working as a lumberjack at eight. When he was older, he got infected by sickness and died. The axe was then given to my father, Victor. Dad's sister, Emily, was the original owner. Then she was chosen for the Hunger Games. She gave the axe to my father, knowing she wouldn't make it out alive. She tried her hardest but in the end didn't make it. My dad started to work as a lumberjack with the axe after that. He was an amazing one too. I could remember him coming home every day, his face covered in sweat and his hands covered in bandages. He would then collapse on the couch and fall asleep.

The couch in our house is old. It is green with three yellow stripes and has many holes in it where the stuffing inside sticks out. In front of the couch is the wall where our TV projects. Next to the couch is a small kitchen with a fridge, an oven, and a microwave. That's where mom used to prepare the food. She died last year, and its been hard on dad ever since. Next to the couch is a door, behind the door is a hallway. Lined in the hallway are four doors. Behind the first door is my parent's room. In the second there is a small bathroom we all share. The next room belongs to my brother, Parker. At the end of the hall is my room that I share with my sister, Eve. It might not be as luxurious as the Capitol, but it is good enough to call home.

Ever since mom died we each started to work harder. I started to work full-time as a lumberjack. Most kids are in school until they are eighteen, but almost no one makes it all the way. I dropped out when I was eight and dad started to take me to work with him. I would help him cut down trees with a small axe I had. When I was eleven I started to work with Harry. Once I started to work with Harry, my dad gave me his axe, my great-grandfather's axe. There are no words to describe how joyous that occasion was. Ever since I would go to work every day and be a lumberjack.

What does the rest of my family do? My dad still works as a lumberjack, except far away. He works on almost the other side of District 7 and he doesn't come home until late at night. My sister is surprisingly good at housework. She usually stays at home and takes care of Parker until I get home. Once I get home she goes out to a paper factory and works there until dinner. Then she comes home and cooks for us. Parker still goes to school but next year he will drop out and start to work with me and Harry. Each of us does our fair share to earn money. I swung the axe against the tree, it was small and wouldn't take long to chop down. The bark was thick, but it wasn't as thick as the last one.

After an hour, I chopped down the tree. I didn't need to scream timber because it was so small. I looked up at the sky through the trees. I've learned to use the sun as a clock, and right now it was positioned in the middle of the sky. It was twelve o'clock. My stomach grumbled and I started to walk back to Harry. I grabbed the small tree I chopped down and dragged it towards him,

"Twelve trees!" he shouted,

Twelve trees meant it was lunch time. That meant we could each take a break and eat the lunch we brought. Through the trees I saw Harry's pickup truck, the back was loaded with trees. Harry leaned against the side, his hairy arms burned with a farmer's tan. I walked up to his truck and lifted the tree up. I dropped it in the back of his truck and walked over to him,

"Hi Alex!" he chimed, "how many trees?"

"Six" I answered,

"Six, huh?" he asked, "that's…"

He ran his fingers through his beard as he calculated the money,

"Thirty-six dollars" I answered,

"Yeah...thirty-six"

Harry dug through his pocket for money. Harry pays me for each tree I cut down, six dollars each. Each dollar goes into a jar that sits next to the stove in our kitchen. The jar is filled with the money we use to buy things. He handed me the money and I shoved it in my back pocket. I grabbed my lunch and began to eat it. I opened the brown paper bag and grabbed the peanut butter sandwich out of my backpack. I quickly ate it and then then shoved the grapes down my throat. The other kids between the ages of twelve and eighteen appeared. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Cole. Cole looks like me, but a boy. He had messy black hair and pale skin that contrasted. My eyes were forest green, but his were brown,

"I can't believe the Reaping's today" he said,

"Yeah" I replied, "hope I don't get picked"

"If I do though, I'm taking this with me as my token" Cole said,

He held out a small, smooth piece of white wood. It was smooth and beautiful. I reached forward to touch it but he jerked it back,

"Nah ah, not yours, I found it"

The others, Yvonne, Corey, Haley, Terry, Winnie, Peter, and Liam came out as well. Peter is the oldest of us, he's tall and grumpy and strong. If he got picked, he might even win. Winnie's the youngest, only twelve. She's little and petite and would have no chance in the games. She can barely cut down a tree,

"All going to the reaping get your butt in that car!" Harry shouted,

I jumped in the back of the pickup truck and climbed over the trees. Cole sat next to me and smiled,

"I think you could win the games" he said with a smiled,

I punched his shoulder, "no way, I'd die on the fist day"

Cole shrugged, "Johanna was weak, she won"

"Correction, Johanna _pretended _she was weak, when she actually wasn't" I corrected, "that's how she won"

"Whatever" he grunted,

The car grumbled and started. Harry drove around the trees and I held on tight to one. Sweat came out of my hands and I had to re-grip,

"God, you even get scared holding on to a car" he teased,

"Shut up!" I shouted,

I let go of the tree and threw my hands in the air,

"That make you happy?" I asked,

"Yeah" he replied, "so what's your strategy for the games?"

"Not die" I joked,

"No, I mean seriously" Cole replied,

"I'd run for an axe in the cornucopia and then I'd run as far away as I can and hide until everyone dies" I answered, "what would you do?"

"I'd try and ally with the careers" he answered,

"They'd kill you on the third day" I said,

He shrugged, "that's still longer than you'd survive"

The car rattled out of the forest and onto the street. Yvonne got out first, we stopped at her house and she left. At each stop, another person left. The car began to empty out,

"Cole!" Harry shouted, "get out!"

Cole got out of the car and jumped off the side. He smiled at me,

"See you at the Reaping" he said,

The car drove away and he walked into his house. A couple more stops were made before Harry stopped at my small house,

"Alex!" Harry shouted, "you're turn!"

I jumped off the side of the car. Harry drove away and and I walked up to my house. I fumbled around my pockets for the keys. When I grabbed the keys, the door swung open before me. Eve stood in front of me, smiling. Her smile turned to a frown,

"Peacekeepers!" she cried, "get inside!"

She grabbed my arm and pulled me in, closing the door behind me. I walked over to the window to see a line of Peacekeepers walking down the street. They were in a perfect line. After the line of Peacekeepers, a bunch of cars drove by. Then the blinds closed in front of me. I turned around to see Eve, her hand on the string. Eve hated Peacekeepers, ever since her boyfriend was killed by one. I love how they call them Peacekeepers, even though they cause violence. The rules here in Panem are simple, obey the Capitol or die. Her boyfriend didn't abide by that rule, and I watched my sister cry as he was whipped to death in town central,

"Hi Alex!"

I turned around to see Parker on the couch. Parker looked like Eve. The both have wavy brown hair. Parker's hair is messy, today he was wearing a green t-shirt and jeans. One of his blue eyes were covered by hair. Eve wore a grey skirt and a white blouse, she was already dressed for the reaping. Her brown wavy hair was parted and she had beautiful blue eyes. Everyone in seven likes her, I've never heard anyone say the words, "I hate Eve Vice"

"Go get dressed for the Reaping!" Eve scolded, like a mother,

Eve is eighteen years old, this is her last year. Her name has been in that glass ball for six years now. Her name has not been called once and I doubt it will be called this year. Parker is eleven, so he doesn't have to go to the Reaping. Next year he has to though, he has too. Parker has no idea what is going on in Panem now. I opened my bedroom door to see our bunk bed. I have the top bunk and she has the bottom bunk. On my wooden dresser that my mother made was my clothes. On it what my white button-down shirt. I also had my black skirt. I also had my black flats on the ground. I decided to wear something other than what Eve put out for me. I've been wearing the same thing ever since I was twelve at my first Reaping. I'm now fifteen, and I've worn that on the same day for three years. I slipped off the red plaid t-shirt I was wearing and put on the button-down shirt in its place. I grabbed some black jeans instead of the skirt. I threw on some sneakers and opened the door. I ran across the hall to Parker's room and grabbed a fancy vest. Parker and I can share clothes, he's almost as tall as me. I slipped the vest on and ran back to my room. I looked at myself in the mirror, I was wearing my white shirt and a black tuxedo vest along with my pants. I tied my hair up in a ponytail and put a flower in the ponytail holder.

I walked out of my room and into the living room. Eve looked at me in disgust,

"What are you wearing?" she asked,

"Let's just go" I grumbled,

"Parker, you'll be okay alone, right?"

"Yeah" he answered,

And with that, Eve and I opened the door and filed in line with the other teenagers marching down the street. We are on our way to the Reaping.


	2. Chapter 2-The Reaping

The reaping is a very happy time for some districts. Some have parties after the reapings to celebrate the tributes. I don't know why they celebrate sending two kids to die. That's not what it is like in district seven. After the reaping, Astra Starr, our escort, gives a round of applause after the tributes are chosen. No one joins in with her, as in two everyone would. District seven almost never wins, Johanna won last year though. There are only six other victors from seven, and that's not a lot compared to districts like one and two. The district with the least amount of winners is District 12. Haymitch is the only victor from there. He won the fiftieth Hunger Games. I couldn't imagine being put up against not only twenty-four, but forty-seven other tributes.

I walked down the cobblestone walkway of our house and into the street. The street was filled with people from ages twelve to eighteen. Some were with siblings, and others were all alone. Some had tear-stained faces, and others were straight. Where is this crowd going? To town hall, the only place big enough to hold the Reaping. Every year a boy and a girl are sent to their death, once they are gone they never come back. The only one from my family who drew tesserae was my sister. She drew a couple for our family because she decided we needed it,

"Do you think you'll be picked?" I asked,

"I doubt it" she answered, "my name is one in thousands, I have a small chance"

We kept walking forward and she squeezed my hand. I remember my first reaping. I screamed and cried to my mom about how I didn't want to go. Then Eve said that if I didn't attend the Reaping, I wouldn't live to see the next one. After she said that, I put on my shoes and ran to the Reaping.

That year was interesting. Two siblings were picked, Aster and Andrew Goldberg. They gained the heart of sponsors, but both were bloodbath kills. That was the sixty-ninth Hunger Games. Behind me, I heard a beep. The crowd parted as a car passed through. It wasn't a Peacekeeper car, it belonged to a citizen. The window rolled down and a handsome boy looked out the window. He had slick, greasy brown hair. He wore sunglasses and had a white smile. He wore almost the same clothes as I did, except bigger and in his size,

"Hey Eve, what are you doing out here today?" he asked,

"Going to the Reaping, stupid" she answered, "can you go away?"

"Aww, you have a new pet name for me" he replied, "that's sweet"

"Go away Oliver" she grunted,

"I'm just trying to have a little fun" Oliver replied, "don't be so down"

"What can I do for you to go away?" she asked,

"How about we go in the Games together" he answered, "I've drawn so much Tesserae that the jar if half-filled with my name, I get picked, you volunteer"

"Fine" she grunted, "but I get to kill you in the games"

"Deal"

Oliver started his car and drove away. The crowd parted like the Red Sea for him. I grabbed her arm and she looked at me,

"What?" she asked,

"Why did you do that?" I asked, "you know you can't win"

"As long as he'll leave me alone" she grunted,

"Who was that anyways?" I asked,

"Oliver Roberts" she answered, "he's from one of the richest families in seven and is a total jerk"

"What else?" I asked, curious to know more,

"He really likes me and I have no interest in him so he can get kind of annoying" she continued,

"Oh.." I trailed off, "I wish I had a boy that liked me that much"

"No, you don't" she assured,

We kept walking down the street to the Town Hall. I seemed to be the only kid in this crowd who wasn't worrying about being picked. Eve is right, my name is one in thousands, I shouldn't be worried. We soon approached the Town Hall. It was a huge marble building with pillars. In order to get in, you need to stop at a Peacekeeper's table. I always hate this part. They prick your finger and you have to give them a blood sample. It always hurts for me. The pillars were wrapped in ivy and from the very middle top, a Capitol flag waved in the wind. I looked around for the shortest line and Eve and I were separated by the huge crowd. I walked up to the shortest line. I found myself behind a girl smaller than me. She was hyperventilating and talking to herself,

"I won't get picked, I won't get picked" she mumbled,

"It's ok" I said, she turned around and looked at me, "you'll be fine"

"Sorry, this is my first reaping" she replied, "I'm kind of nervous"

"You'll be fine" I assured, "I'm Alex Vice"

"Violet Burgeson" she replied, we shook hands and she smiled at me,

"Next!"

Violet held her breath as the Peacekeeper pricked her finger. She walked away and waved to me. Violet squeezed between two people and was soon lost in the crowd,

"Next!"

I walked up to the Peacekeeper and held out my hand. She pressed the needle to my finger and I winced in pain. I pressed my finger to the paper and walked forward. I walked through the pillars into the Town Hall. Inside the Town Hall is more amazing than the outside. If you look up, you'll see a stained glass ceiling. It is decorated with ivy and trees. In the front of the town hall where the mayor usually stands when she makes announcements. Today it was decorated with screens and ready for the Reaping. I looked around over heads for Eve, but she was nowhere in sight. I pushed my way through the crowd and tried to get closer. I stepped on toes and shoved people out of the way. I got shouted at as I made my way close to the front. I'm only five feet and five inches tall, so it's hard to see.

Astra stepped out of the actual part of Town Hall and tapped the mic. The mic screeched and everyone covered their ears. Mine flew to my head to muffle out the noise,

"Welcome everyone to this year's reaping!" Astra exclaimed, "now all the way from the Capitol, I present to you.."

She trailed off as the little film lit up on the screen. It's the same one we watch every year. The one where President Snow talks about the rebellion. I've seen it so many times that I've memorized the whole thing. After it was done, Astra was the only one who clapped. Astra is a middle-aged woman with bright red lips straight from the capitol. She has dyed red curly hair that today was in ringlets over her shoulder. She wore a tight white dress with an orange belt. She wears yellow colored contacts to make her eyes look that way and so much makeup that her face couldn't be seen,

"Fabulous" she said,

_Fabulous? _I though, _anything that comes from the Capitol is either caked in makeup or a piece of crap._

"This year, I think we should spice things up and start with the boys" Astra said,

She walked over to the glass ball on her left, containing the boy's names. She spun her hand around in the ball that was almost overflowed with slips. I could tell most of them were Oliver's. She grabbed a slip of paper and pulled it out. She waved it in the air and walked back over to the microphone. The broke the seal on the paper and spoke the name loudly,

"Oliver Roberts"

Everyone around Oliver cleared out of the way. He smiled, I knew it'd be him. Oliver shove people out of the way as he walked up onto the stage. Almost all of the girls decided they wanted to volunteer so they could be with him. Something in my stomach sank, Eve would now have to volunteer. I wasn't going to let her go into the games, she is needed more than I am. Once Eve volunteers, I will volunteer as well.

"And now for the girls" Astra continued,

She walked to her right this time. Instead of taking time swirling her hand around in the ball, she grabbed the name at the top of the pile. She walked back over to the microphone and broke the seal. She frowned at the name and when she said it, I almost went deaf,

"Eve Vice"

For a moment, I almost forgot Eve was my sister. Eve wouldn't have to volunteer, she was already in this mess with no way out. A smile cracked upon Oliver's lips. I found Eve in the crowd, everyone back away from her like she was toxic. A Peacekeeper snapped her out of her trace by grabbing her arm and pulling her on stage. I needed to do something, and without thinking I shouted,

"I volunteer!"

All eyes were on me and I turned embarrassed. Oliver's smile turned into an angry frown. Eve's face was shocked and angry at the same time. The Peacekeeper let go of Eve and began to walk over to me. I stood still in place, why did I do that?

"It's ok, don't be shy" Astra cooed,

A Peacekeeper shoved me forward with the barrel of his gun. I began to walked around people and up on the stage. Astra extended her hand but I refused to grab it. I walked up on stage next to Oliver. He didn't smile at me, just frowned. He must've really wanted that quality time with Eve,

"Would you like to say your name?" Astra asked,

"Alex Vice" I boomed into the microphone,

"What a brave act, volunteering for the games, Alex" she replied, "let's give her a round of applause"

No one clapped except for Astra,

"Now shake hands" she ordered,

Oliver extended his hand to me and I grabbed it. It was firm and smooth while mine was rough and callused. I shook it up and down and then two Peacekeepers led us inside. I got a glance of District Seven for the last time.


	3. Chapter 3-The Train

**Anyone have any ideas for a sponsorship program? I'd like to include one.**

**I made a list of all of the tributes at the bottom, if you wanna check them out.**

**I do not own the Hunger Games, all rights go to Suzanne Collins.**

* * *

We were taken in the Justice Building surrounded by Peacekeepers on all sides. I don't get why they put us under such high surveillance, because everybody knows that if you run, you won't make it. The Capitol will always catch you. Last year there were two girls who tried to run away from District Seven. They were caught after five miles, had their tongues cut off and turned into Avoxes. It was horrible.

The Peacekeepers brought me to a room in the Justice Building. In it was a desk and a chair. The back had a large window that was covered with black paper and blocked out the view. I guess it was for Reaping reasons,

"You have three minutes to say your goodbyes" a Peacekeeper ordered, "starting, now"

The Peacekeeper opened the door and the first to run in were my family. Eve stormed over to me, angry. She stuck out an angry finger at me,

"What was that?" she asked, "you're going to die!"

"And so were you" I replied, "the family needs you more than me"

"You don't understand how much Oliver wanted this" she shouted, "he's going to kill you as soon as he can"

"Then I'll do the same" I said,

Tears erupted in Eve's eyes and she threw her arms around me. She cried on my shoulder,

"I'll make it out alive" I promised, "I'll win to protect you"

"When you get in there, run straight for an axe, get it and survive, win" she advised, "whatever you do, don't die"

"Good Luck"

I looked behind me to see Parker. He walked over to me and hugged me too. Parker is almost as tall as me. He's five feet and three inches, two inches shorter than me,

"Will you be ok?" he asked, "will you win?"

"I make no promises" I replied, "but I'll try"

"I can't wait to tell all my friends you are going to win for us!" he exclaimed,

"Yeah" I said, "where's dad"

"I don't know" Eve answered for him, "hasn't come back yet"

"Time's up!" the Peacekeeper shouted,

"Goodbye" Eve mumbled,

She and Parker walked out of the room and the door closed behind him. Cole walked in next,

"I can't believe you were picked!" he exclaimed,

"Don't be happy" I grumbled,

"I bet you you'll die" Cole said, "if you die, I get whatever I want from you"

"Deal" I answered, "if I die, you can get whatever you want that's yours"

"Can I have your axe?" he asked,

"Anything but that" I answered, "and if I win, you have to do as I say for a year and be my personal servant"

"Deal" he answered, "oh, and I want you to have this as your token"

He handed me the smooth piece of wood that he showed me earlier today. I ran my hands over it, feeling the texture,

"Thanks" I said,

"It'll remind you of home" he said, "good luck"

"Time's up!" the Peacekeeper shouted,

Cole walked out of the room and Astra walked in. She wasn't here to say goodbye to me,

"Come on" she said, "let's get you to the Capitol"

I was surrounded by Peacekeepers next to Oliver as they took us to the train station. At the train station is a train that will take us to the Capitol. A Peacekeeper opened a door to a black car. I got in and I was followed by Astra and Oliver,

"You'll love the Capitol!" Astra exclaimed, "it's so big and fabulous, and colorful. It's so much more better than this dark district"

I ignored her insult to District Seven. I placed my elbow on the window and watched District Seven speed past my eyes. I saw trees and rotting old wooden cabins. People walked back from the Reaping. Som talked about this year's tributes and others were silent. Some even pointed at our car as we drove by. What chance do I have? The only reason I have muscle is because of my work as a lumberjack. Cutting down trees is different that killed people though. Trees are stationary and don't move, people do, and these ones can kill you. I can tell that people are already putting labels on others. Some people are named bloodbath kills and others are named as winners.

We soon got to the train station. The car pulled up at the entrance. Peacekeepers surrounded us as we walked out of the car. We walked up the stairs and into the train station. On the tracks, there was a huge train with open doors. We walked in and my jaw dropped once we were in. There were luxury sofas and foods of all kinds of food. The glasses on the table were polished and perfect. In the back of the car there was a huge projector to watch television. I ran over to the couch and jumped on it like I was a kid,

"Alex, what are you doing?" she asked, "show some respect"

I got up and followed Oliver over to two leather seats. They had armrests and were very comfy,

"I'm going to go get your mentors" Astra said, "you'll love them!"

She opened the door to the next car and disappeared behind it. I was left in the room with Oliver.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, angry,

"You know as well as I do that she would die" I replied, "they need her more than they need me"

"You heard her promise" Oliver sneered, "and you took that chance away from me"

"I'm sorry!" I apologized,

"I don't care if you're sorry" he shouted, "once we get in that arena, I'm going to kill you"

The door slid open and Astra walked in. Oliver went back to smiling and started laughing like I just told him a joke. He glared at me and I joined in,

"That's very funny Alex" he laughed, "who are they?"

Next to Astra stood two people. The man looked like he was in his late thirties. He had reddish-brown hair and a curly beard. He wore a white shirt and a tan sports jacket over it and nice pants. The girl was a little more casual. She had dark brown hair that fell a little below her shoulders. Her hair also had little streaks of red in it. I didn't notice those last year, they must be new.

"Alex, Oliver, meet Johanna and Blight" Astra introduced,

Johanna walked up to me and shook my hand. Hers were smooth compared to my rough callused hands. Johanna looked up and down, examining me with her dark green eyes,

"Firm hands...calluses" she mumbled, "are you a lumberjack?"

"Yeah" I answered, "how did you know"

"I can tell" she answered, "so you have skills with axes?"

"I guess" I answered,

"Good" she mumbled,

Johanna walked over to Oliver and examined him as he shook her hand. She mumbled some things as well. Blight shook my hand, with skin was smooth and silky. What to victors do with their money?

"Blight" he introduced, flashing a white smile, "nice to meet you"

"Alex" I replied, "Alex Vice"

I let go of his hand and he examined me like Johanna. He was more friendly about it though, smiling when he was looking up and down.

"Seems like a good match" Johanna said, "Alex will probably be good with an axe and Oliver will probably get lots of sponsors, he seems likeable"

"I agree" Blight replied,

"Better than last year's boy" Johanna sneered, "he was a bloodbath kill"

Johanna walked over to the couch and sat down, turning on the television. She changed the channels, looking for something to watch,

"Johanna will mentor Alex" Astra said, "and Blight will mentor Oliver"

"Great" Johanna muttered, "I'll take Alex"

Astra walked back into the next car. I looked out the window to see nothing but blurs. The world was speeding past us as we rode in the train. Johanna got to the Capitol channel, the most important channel in Panem. I walked over to the couch and stood next to it. I watched the little film that is show at the Reaping every year. Why is that on the Capitol Channel right now?

"Waiting for an invitation to sit?" Johanna asked,

Embarrassed, I sat down next to Johanna. Her legs were crossed as she leaned back against the couch. I mimicked her, leaning back but keeping my legs uncrossed,

"What'cha watchin?" I asked

"The Reapings" Johanna answered, "Capitol shows them every year, watch closely. This will be your only chance before the games to see your fellow tributes"

The Capitol anthem played for a bit and then the District One reaping came on. There were so many volunteers. The girl chosen was named Velvet. She was near the front and once she shouted the words she ran up on stage. The boy, Vulture, had the same situation. District Two reaped Caecilia and Julius. Both were volunteers. Three gave up Eliza and Cogg, both of which looked very smart. District Four reaped Marina and Luke, both were very good-looking. It was interesting to see the other districts, this is the only time of year you can catch the slightest glimpse of them. The rest of the Reapings went normally. There were a couple notable ones. District Six had the reaping of Maya. Maya looked like a career, she was tall and had lots of muscle. When she was Reaped, she charged on stage. District Nine gave up Asher. He's twelve but he looks like he's nine. Then there was District Twelve. The female tribute, Raven, had to be dragged on stage by Peacekeepers. She's tough though, she even knocked some off her and even got one unconscious. Johanna smirked at that one. Our Reaping blended in with the others, nothing special besides a volunteer.

"Maya seems tough" Johanna mumbled, "and the Careers look good this year, thinking of any allies?"

"Yeah" I answered, "Raven from twelve looks good"

"Sure" she replied, "try Maya, she's strong as well"

"So when it comes to first impressions, do you have any advice?" I asked,

"Well first you wanna make a strategy" she answered, "mine was to act like I'm weak when I'm not, but that probably won't work again"

"Maybe I can hide for the games" I said, "if no one can find me, no one can kill me"

"But the gamemakers can kill you" Johanna corrected, "and you can die of natural causes"

"True" I replied, "maybe I can try and kill as many people as I can"

"That may work" Johanna replied, "but that gives you a worse chance of survival"

"Maybe I can combine the plans, I can hide, fight, and make allies" I said,

"Sounds good" Johanna replied, "you could do that"

"So what should I do next?" I asked,

"You gotta come up with a training plan" Johanna answered, "find out a way to impress the gamemakers and the other tributes"

The day went by as quickly as the train. We ate exquisite food that I've never tasted before. The sirloin steak was rich and really good. The water we drank was fizzy and it looked like it had sparkles in it. We also ate our food on beautifly carved plates, I've never seen anything like them,

"Enjoying the food?" Astra asked,

I nodded, Oliver didn't respond,

"Get used to it for the next week or so" Blight said, "and enjoy it as well"

Along with the steak, we were served tomato soup. It was delicious as well.

After dinner, Astra led me to the car that contained my room,

"Oh, and if you brought a token, please hand it over to me now" Astra ordered,

I dug into my pocket and grabbed the small chunk of wood and handed it to Astra,

"Will I get it back?" I asked,

"Maybe, the gamemakers have to inspect it first" she answered,

She walked away and I walked into my room. I gasped at its luxury. It might've been small, but it was beautiful. The quilt on top was soft and comfy. I jumped on the bed and rolled around in it like a child. I felt something silky under my back. I jolted up to see a silk nightgown. I frowned, I hated dresses, but it looks so comfy. I took off my shoes and placed them in the back corner of my room. I slipped off my shirt and my pants as well. I slipped on the silk nightgown. It was very comfy and I felt like I was wearing a cloud. I gently pulled the covers back, closed my eyes, and fell asleep in the luxurious room.

* * *

**District 1**

Velvet and Vulture

**District 2**

Caecilia and Julius

**District 3**

Eliza and Cogg

**District 4**

Marina and Luke

**District 5**

Karlie and Brenton

**District 6**

Maya and Porter

**District 7**

Alex and Oliver

**District 8**

Aaliyah and Edward

**District 9**

Krysten and Asher

**District 10**

Candice and Landon

**District 11**

Mae and Otto

**District 12**

Raven and Bryce


	4. Chapter 4-Arriving

**Special thanks to mangesboy01, you've been a great inspiration**

**I'm not Suzanne Collins, enjoy!**

* * *

When I woke up. The covers were all tossed around and the bed was messy. I looked over to the nightstand in which a mirror hung above. On the table was a basket covered with a white cloth. I pushed off the covers and walked over to the basket. The soft carpet rubbed against my feet as I walked over to the basket. I set one hand on the nightstand and used the other to pull off the cloth. Under it was all kinds of bread, everything from rye to wheat. An avox must've come in while I was sleeping and put it there. In the basket was also a small butter knife and a stick of butter wrapped in cooking parchment.

_What do butter and bread taste like together? _I thought,

I grabbed the top roll and unwrapped the butter. I took a little bit on the end of the knife and spread it across the surface of the bread. I took the bread and shoved it in my mouth. Crumbs fell on my nightgown and I brushed them off. It tasted amazing. Usually the bread in seven has either no taste or is stale. This bread was fresh and delicious.

I finished the bread and wiped the butter off my chin. The door opened and an avox walked in carrying a stack of clothes. She set it in my hands and it felt comfy. The Capitol is so much more of a luxury than District Seven. I grabbed the clothes and spread them out. On the bed was a dark green silk shirt along with white leggings. I was also given white flats. The avox set a hairbrush and three hair bands on the nightstand. I slipped off the nightgown and put on the pants first. After that I slipped on the shirt. It was almost as comfy as the nightgown. The shirt was short-sleeved and is probably the nicest thing I've ever worn.

I pushed open the door and walked into the main car. Oliver, Johanna, and Blight sat at the table. Johanna had jam smeared all over her face while Blight and Oliver were more polite. Astra was nowhere to be seen,

"Anyone know where Astra is?" I asked,

"Caking on makeup in her room" Johanna answered, mouth full of food, "pass the french toast"

"Mind Johanna's manners" Blight said, shooting her a look, "please, sit down"

I grabbed a chair and sat down in it. It was comfy, much more soft than the ones we had back in my house. The table was filled with delicious foods, most of them I've never seen before,

"When do we arrive in the Capitol" Oliver asked, "I hear it looks amazing"

"And ridiculous" I grumbled,

"Soon" Blight answered, "in an hour or so"

I looked around the table for something I wanted to eat. I found some fluffy bread with little white specs on it,

"What's that?" I asked,

"French toast" Johanna answered, mouth still full of food,

I took some and placed it on my plate. I quickly ate it but in a more polite way. Johanna ate her food at the speed of light. I took time to cut the toast and put it in my mouth. I stabbed one square with the fork and put it in my mouth. It was sweet and fluffy. When I was done chewing, I cleared my throat,

"So how can you make shelter in the games?" Oliver asked,

"You have to find a good spot, away from danger and tributes" Blight explained, "then gather some natural materials like mud and sticks and rocks and try and make a small teepee for yourself or something like that"

"What will the arena be?" I asked,

"We don't know until you go in" Johanna answered, swallowing her food,

"How do you get food?" I asked,

"You either hunt for it or get it from sponsors" Blight answered,

"How do you get sponsors?" Oliver asked,

"You get people to like you" Blight answered, "if one of your supporters really lies you, and you're starving, he can send you food"

"But you need to do something to gain their support" Johanna added, "maybe get a high training score or have an interesting interview"

An avox came around and filled everyone's glass with some orange colored juice. I wondered what it was and I gulped it down. It was very citric but sweet at the same time,

"What is this?" I asked,

"Orange juice" Johanna answered, "another luxury you'll get is trying new foods before you die"

"Johanna, who says they're going to die?" Blight asked, trying to be polite"

"Let's see.." she began, "the Careers, the Gamemakers, President-"

Blight cut her off and said, "okay, that's enough Johanna"

Blight led Oliver out of the room because he wanted to talk to him. Johanna and I were left in the room together,

"What other ways are there to find shelter?" I asked,

"You can find places like caves and trees, otherwise you can get tents from sponsors and the cornucopia" Johanna answered, "and whatever you do, DON'T light fires"

"Why not?" I asked, "they're what you need to stay warm"

"Because the smoke will let other tributes know where you are" Johanna answered, "and unless you wanna die, than go ahead and light a fire"

"What's the bloodbath?" I asked,

"The bloodbath is the part of the games when everyone runs to the Cornucopia and almost half of the tributes usually die" she answered, "it's your choice to participate or not"

"I think I'll stay away from the bloodbath, I think I can live without supplies" I replied,

Johanna burst into laughter, "sorry to burst your bubble, but you'd have a better chance at surviving the bloodbath than surviving without supplies"

Blight and Oliver walked back in. Both had smiles stretched across their faces. Astra walked out, her red hair was dyed navy blue and had glitter all over it. She wore a dark blue leather dress with frilly yellow sleeves. Her dress was decorated with little stars and her hair was up in a swirly bun,

"Good morning" she said with a yawn, and then her eyes went wide, "we're here!"

I looked outside the window and I saw something. For the first time, I saw something that wasn't just blurs. I stood up and walked over to the window. I pressed my hand to the cold glass surface and saw the luxury Capitol. It was beautiful, with golden statues, waterfalls, and buildings that touched the sky,

"Come look Oliver" I said,

Oliver got up to and walked over to the window. He gasped at the Capitol's beauty and then whispered to me,

"Enjoy it, after the games you won't ever see it again"

I'm sort of scared because in the games, Oliver will try his hardest to get the pleasure of killing me. The Capitol soon disappeared into a tunnel. When the train came out of the tunnel, we were in a Capitol Train Station. Inside was a rainbow of people, all sporting bright and colorful clothes and screaming and cheering. Peacekeepers held them back and acted as security guards. They cheered and shouted. Oliver flashed his handsome smile and waved to them. He nudged me,

"Come on Alex, just do what I do" he whispered,

I smiled and awkwardly waved to the crowd of crazy Capitol people. They all looked like Astra, but in more colors,

"Oliver!" one screamed, "Oliver I love you!"

"Look mommy, there's Alex!" a kid exclaimed to her mother,

I turned around to see Johanna smiling,

"Good work kid" she compliments "keep doing what you're doing and you'll have an endless supply of sponsors"

The train came to a stop and the Capitol citizens were pushed out of the way by Peacekeepers. I quickly fixed my hair and once we stepped out we were once again surrounded by Peacekeepers. Astra followed us and behind her Johanna and Blight followed. They waved to the crowds and so did I. Oliver slapped my hand down,

"That's enough" he grunted,

"Great job you two!" Astra exclaimed, "I think they already like you!"

"Where are we going?" I asked,

"In a few minutes, you'll meet your prep team and stylist. They'll get you ready for the Tribute Parade tonight and for the rest of the Capitol!" Astra exclaimed, "now don't complain about their work. As they say, beauty hurts"

Will I come out of there looking like Astra? What will my stylist dress me up like for the Tribute Parade. The parade is where we are dressed up like something to represent our districts and ride in chariots across a street in the Capitol. This is the first time we'll get to see the other tributes.

When we were taken into the building, Oliver and I were separated. Astra, Blight, and Johanna said goodbye and they walked out. Tonight, the whole nation of Panem will be watching me and Oliver in a chariot in a stupid costume. Tonight is the night for sponsors to see who we really are.


	5. Chapter 5-The Prep Team

**A quick announcement. I'm changing some of the tributes names due to suggestions by one of my readers. The following tributes will have their names changed:**

**Karlie (District 5) will become Karlee**

**Edward (District 8) Will become Ed**

**Maya (District 6) will become Petra**

**And Asher (District 9) Will become Ash**

**The only drastic one is Maya, because I decided I didn't really like her name. The others are just some tiny changes in length or spelling. Please don't ask why I did this and thank you for understanding.**

* * *

I am told to walk over to Station seven-one. Outside the door stood three people. The first was a girl with bright orange hair. She has glittery golden tattoos going down the side of her arms and bright makeup that made it look like her face was on fire. She smiled at me, flashing a golden tooth. Her hair was is a high ponytail that curled at the end. The second was a man with dark purple hair. He had bushy sideburns and curly hair. He wore more makeup than Astra did. Lastly was another woman. She had pink ringlets and tiny eyes. Though tiny, she wore tons of makeup and had a silver marking on her face that streamed down the side. She had bangs that fell on her forehead,

"Hello!" they all exclaimed,

"I'm Corfedia!" the girl with the orange hair exclaimed,

"I'm Varynn" the man grunted, for a Capitol man he was surprisingly grumpy

"And I'm Loleni" the pink-haired girl said,

"And we're your prep team!" they chimed,

They all ushered me in and urged for me to change into the prep robe. It was a small blue gown that was very ugly and uncomfy. I sighed and slipped of my clothes and put the gown on in their place. In front of me was a large table big enough to fit a body,

"Go on, lay down" Loleni urged,

I walked up to the table and jumped on. Once I was sitting in the middle I laid down on the table and listened to my prep team's enthusiastic speech,

"Let's start with the legs first!" Corfedia exclaimed,

I heard a drawer open and I felt something sticky being placed on my legs,

"What's that?" I asked,

"Waxing strips" Varynn answered, "just stay still"

They tore off the strips and the hair came off as well. I wanted to scream but I bit my tongue. They had me turn around and they did the same to the back of my legs. I think this may be more torture than the actual games. Varynn got out a small, pen like object and pressed it to my legs,

"What's that?" I asked,

"A laser" he answered, "keeps your leg hair from growing back"

I didn't feel anything but a couple small stings as he ran the laser up and down my legs. Front and back as well. They moved up my body, doing the same to my armpit hair as well. They plucked my eyebrows, something I've never done at home. I felt a lot less hairy and a lot less warm. I guess my body hair keeps me warm. They started to rub lotions and creams on my body, up and down. They were smooth and felt good,

"These will make your skin look fabulous!" Corfedia exclaimed, "it'll make you look like you come from District One!"

"District One?" I asked,

"Yes my darling" Varynn replied, "that's what we're here for, no?"

They also cleaned and whitened my teeth. I guess they are pretty yellow due to the disgusted looks on my prep team's faces.

"Here's the fun part!" Corfedia exclaimed,

I've noticed that Corfedia is very fun and optimistic. Loleni is very sweet and shy and Varynn is very grumpy and anti-social. He does most of the work though,

"Let's start with the hair!" Loleni suggested,

"I think we should do the makeup" Varynn countered,

"How about we do her nails!" Corfedia suggested,

They eventually decided to start on the nails. The filed and buffed them and washed them until they were clean. They put green nail polish on each of my fingers and painted a little leaf on each one. Varynn used a powerful fan to quickly dry them all. Then they got to my makeup. They tied my messy hair out of the way and started with my face. They dabbed on makeup, but not a lot, from what I could feel it was some eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick. Loleni held a mirror up to my face,

"What do you think?"

I could barely breath. I looked so, different. I looked like I'd come straight out of a Capitol magazine. They had applied brown and green eyeshadow and black eyeliner to make my eyes stand out. The blush was a light brown and the lipstick gave my somewhat pinkish lips a little hint of green,

"What do you think my darling?" Varynn asked,

"Great" I answered, those were the only words I could draw out of my mouth

"Now for the hair!" Corfedia exclaimed,

They brought out tools after tools for my hair. They pinned my messy bangs up and out of the way and started to brush my hair. They tugged on my scalp and it hurt a bit but after a while my hair was all smoothed out. They pinned my hair up in a bun, and it wasn't very painful. I sat up and looked around, products were spilled everywhere,

"Are we done?" I asked,

"Yep" Varynn answered, removing his gloves,

"Time for you to meet Myles!" Corfedia exclaimed, "good luck!"

My prep team quickly cleaned up and ran out of the room. Another man walked in, taking their place. He actually looked decently normal for a Capitol citizen. His blonde hair wasn't dyed except for a little streak of green. He didn't have layers and layers of makeup, he only wore some green eyeshadow and eyeliner. I was surprised, everyone here looks crazy. He didn't wear any crazy clothes, just a nice white shirt and slacks. He held out a rose to me,

"For you" he said,

"Thank you" I replied as I took the rose,

Myles extended his arm to me, kneeling and holding out his hand. I grabbed it and pulled myself off the table, standing up. I noticed something when I grabbed his hand, not about him them, but me. My rough calluses didn't rub into his hands. In fact, they were gone. I looked at my hands to only see smooth skin and not rough bumps. I guess the prep team got rid of them while I wasn't paying attention,

"Let me see you up and down" he said, "take off the robe"

"What?" I asked, shocked,

"Just take it off, I don't have all day Alex" he scolded,

I set the rose on the table and sighed. I grabbed the bottom of the gown and began to slip it off. Why did this creep wanna see me naked? Once I took the gown off, Myles looked at me in nothing but a bra and underwear. He examined my body and my muscles,

"Those are some nice biceps there" he examined, "what do you work as?"

"A lumberjack" I answered, "work with a lot of axes"

"I see.." he mumbled, chewing on the end of a sparkly pen, "you have a nice shape"

"Thanks" I replied, "can I put the gown back on?"

"Fat thighs though" he added,

"Hey!" I shouted,

"Sorry" he apologized, "you can put it back on"

I put the gown back on and my awkwardness disappeared. Myles kept looking at me and then smiled,

"I hate to say it, but your outfits are not fully done yet" Myles said with a frown, "why don't you change and get some lunch while Irida, your friend's stylist, go finish them up"

"Thanks" I replied,

"You can change back into your clothes" he said, "and don't mess up your makeup!"

I took off the gown and put my clothes back on. When I walked outside the room, I sat down on the chair across the hall. A small avox girl walked over to me with a platter full of food. She was small and tiny, even smaller than me. Her eyes looked young, and so did she. This girl with fiery red hair could only be less than fourteen years old,

_Poor girl, _I thought,

How did someone so young get turned into an avox? Then, the girl fell and the food went flying everywhere. The platter fell to the ground and smashed into peices. The avox couldn't say anything, but I could tell she was rapidly apologizing. She began to clean up the mess and behind her was Oliver,

"A dirty little girl like that shouldn't be serving you food" Oliver sneered,

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked, "their lives are hard enough"

"Over the next days, I just want you to see what real suffering looks like before the games" he answered, "you should enjoy these next days before I kill you"

"What happens if you don't kill me?" I asked,

"Oh trust me, I will kill you" he threatened, "and if someone else takes my glory, I'll just take the time to kill them"

The avox stood up and walked away. I smiled at her,

"I'm so sorry" I said,

She walked away with no reaction. After a couple minutes, a boy avox with dark skin and messy black hair walked in. Oliver smiled and stuck out his leg to trip him. I grabbed Oliver by his shirt collar and held my fist to his face,

"Don't" I snarled,

When I let go of Oliver he threw his hands up in the air and walked away. The avpx was wide-eyed. I guess he witnessed the whole thing. He handed me the food and ran off, his head looking at the ground,

_Great, _I thought, _now I'm scaring Avoxes_

I removed the food cover to find myself face-to-face with a juicy, tender lamb. I've only eaten one once, but it was old and not even fresh. Parker found it behind a trash can and suggested we ate it. The next day we all woke up with food poisoning. I removed the lettuce that surrounded the lamb and began to cut it. I put little slivers in my mouth one by one,

"Can you hurry up my love?" Myles asked, "I'm dying to show you your outfit"

Time to go Johanna mode. I quickly grabbed as many slivers as I could and shoved them into my mouth all at once. Myles looked at me, disgusted. I chewed and chewed as hard as I could and tried to enjoy the tender flavor. I walked back into the room and put back on the uncomfy gown,

"You don't need that disgusting thing anymore" Myles interrupted, give that to me,

I slipped the gown back off and handed it to him. He held it like it was a rotten banana peel and threw it in the trash bin on the other side of the room. I was awkwardly naked again, Myles looked at my body,

"I can guess you don't like being nude" Myles guessed,

"Who does?" I asked,

"Well you're lucky that you get to be nude!" he exclaimed,

"Are you kidding me?" I shouted,

"Yes" he answered, with a smile. He burst into obnoxious laughter.

Myles went into one room and came out with my outfit. It was a long dress that looked like a tree. District Seven's chariot outfits were never creative, it was either trees or bushes or plants or something stupid like that. I think the Capitol is sick and tired of us and our trees. This tree though, was a lot more interesting. The bottom was the roots of the tree. It stretched out and curved around. The dress went all the way up to my collarbone, where stick-like branches of fabric would wrap around my neck. The dress also had long sleeves that only covered the top of my arm. They had leaves and berries hanging from them and it looked kind of like an actual tree,

"Let's try it on, shall we?"

Myles unzipped the back and I slipped the dress on. I grabbed it by the roots and gently slipped the dress over my body. It was tight but the inside had a layer of silk and it was very comfy,

"Is this silk?" I asked,

"I knew you like silk, from all of the times I've seen you on TV" he answered, "I thought you'd like it"

Myles took the branches that wrapped around my neck and clasped them behind me. I slipped on the sleeves, the top half of my arm felt the silk and the bottom was naked. There was a small ring at the end that slipped on my pointer finger to keep the sleeve on. The berries and leaves brushed against my arm and I could feel the plastic fakeness. Myles went back into the room and came out with yards of fake vines. He wrapped them around my shoulders and waist and stomach like a belt. The dress wasn't too tight, but not to lose. Myles turned me towards the mirror and I gasped. I didn't look like the fifteen year old Alex that came out of District Seven, I looked like I was seventeen and I was straight for District One,

"Do you like it?" Myles asked,

I was speechless, I looked amazing, "I...I love it"

"It's not done yet my love!" he exclaimed,

Out of a box, he pulled out a necklace and earrings that looked just like leaves. He applied them to me and clipped on the earrings,

"Ow!" I screamed, the earrings pinched a bit,

"Sorry" he apologized,

He then applied a little more makeup. He painted a leaf on my cheek and branches around my eyes. It looked amazing. He studded the leaves with little jewels to act as berries. Myles then ran his hand through my hair. He grabbed some green hair dye and I jolted away,

"You are NOT going to dye my hair green" I protested,

"Relax Alex, I'll just put a streak in it, like mine" he replied, and then pointed to his streak of green hair,

I sighed and sat down and let him streak my hair with green. He took a large strand from the right side of my head near the front and streaked it with a green stick. He kept on using the streaker to dye part of my hair green. When he was done, he stepped away and let me look into the mirror. There was now a green streak in the side of my head,

"It'll be there for a month or two now" Myles said, "you're going to have it and we'll match, kind of as a sign"

"Cool" I mumbled,

"Let me finish up your hair" he said,

He grabbed strands of my hair and messed it up. He pulled out strands and my bangs on the side. He weaved leaves into my hair. He made me close my eyes and all I felt was my hair being pulled around,

"Now open your eyes" he said,

I opened my eyes to see the final product. I had the beautiful dress and the makeup and my hair. Behind me, Myles crept up and placed a laurel crown on my head. I turned around and smiled at him,

"This is awesome!" I exclaimed,

"Now let's go and get you in the chariot"

I held Myles' hand as we walked towards the chariots. I tried my hardest, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.


	6. Chapter 6-The Tribute Parade

When we got to the entrance where all of the chariots were line up, we had to walk past districts one, two, three, four, five, and six. I was able to observe them all for the first time. Velvet, the girl from district one, shot me an evil look. She was dressed up in luxurious clothing and looked like a queen. She had a golden sparkly dress and a long velvet cloak, just like her name. It felt as her baby blue eyes pierced through my skin. Was she jealous? Clearly she has a better costume and life than I have. The district two guys were dressed like knights. They had fake swords and armor that wasn't real and was made to make them look good. District 3 actually looked amazing. Neither of the tributes were attractive, but they were dressed in a wire-like suit. I couldn't tell if they were real or not. I looked over at Myles and he bit his tongue as we walked by all of the other tributes,

"Don't worry Miles, you did a good job" I confronted,

"Thanks" he replied

District Four were dressed amazingly. The girl who was almost as pretty as Velvet and her partner were both dressed like lionfish in bodysuits that looked like scales and spikes. The girl wore fishhook earrings that dangled down to her shoulders. District Five was dressed like solar panels. They had suits that were covered top to bottom in the panels and they reflected lots of sunlight. District Six actually looked interesting. The girl as I saw in the reapings, Petra, looked more terrifying in real life. She looked huge compared to her district partner. She was talking with her mentor who I couldn't identify. She was dressed in what looked to be red, green, and yellow all portraying traffic signs which are common in Six. In seven you can see a stop sign every now and then but that is it. Her stylist left the sleeves on her costume off to show off her muscles.

We then got to our chariot. The horses were a russet brown, our district color. The chariot itself was also dark brown but it wasn't painted, it was just open wood. A string of vines lined the top and Oliver stood inside of it. He was talking to Blight so he didn't notice me. Johanna came up to me with a smile that turned into a frown,

"How do I look?" I asked, spinning around,

"Trees?" she asked, "again?"

Myles dug his foot into the ground and ignored Johanna's comment. He smiled at me and held my hand,

"Make the crowd love you" he said, "I'll see you later"

Myles then joined Oliver's stylist who was a woman with purple hair and pale skin and they walked away. I stepped up into the chariot and I looked at Johanna, she wouldn't take her eyes off me

"What?" I asked,

"Nothing" she sighed, "it's just that the stylists have been dressing us up as trees for the past forty years, can they be original?"

"At least be glad you don't have to be naked like I was" Blight added, "you, my dear, get to look _stunning"_

"Thank you!" I chimed, coming out in a higher pitch than I wanted it to be,

"Now remember, you need to absorb the crowd" Blight said, "you need to make them love you, this will be the first time sponsors see you, and you want to make an impression"

Blight talked for a little more about sponsors and waving and stuff like that. I observed Oliver, he was dressed in something like me. Oliver was shirtless, showing off muscles,

_How does he have muscles? _I thought, _he doesn't even work at all_

Oliver's chest was wrapped in vines and was dabbed with some brown makeup to represent bark. He had brown ripped pants like mine that represented bark and some vines around him. He had some makeup like me and also wore a laurel crown. He didn't have sleeves and like Petra, showed of his muscles. He had branches as well, but not as many as I did and didn't look so extravagant. We looked so different that it was almost crazy,

"You look amazing" he complimented, "Lucinda is absolutely stupid"

"Tell me about it!" Johanna exclaimed,

Our heads turned to Johanna, who was the silenced by our glares,

"Are you enjoying the Capitol?" he asked,

"So far, yeah" I answered,

"Enjoy it before the Arena" he sneered, "I'll hunt you down once we're in there"

"How many times do you need to tell me you're going to kill me?" I asked,

"As many times as I need to imply it" he answered, "as many times until you'll understand"

Oliver is an amazing actor. One minute he can act like a handsome man from District Seven with a great sense of humor and the next he can be a ruthless killer. Astra then ran out towards us, stumbling and falling in her high heels. Her heels were about seven inches off the ground,

"Am I late?" she asked, "did I miss them?"

"No" Johanna grumbled,

"Good!" she chimed, "one quick reminder, be fun and don't stop smiling. They'll love you, don't worry"

The chariot then bolted ahead and started to move. I fumbled around the chariot for the reins to the horses,

"Where are the reins?" I asked,

"There are none" Oliver answered, "here comes the Capitol"

As we went through the entrance, I was blinded by the bright lights of the Capitol. Cheers erupted around me and it was so loud I felt like my eardrums popped. Above my head dangled a jumbotron that currently showed the tributes from District 3. The crowd was going wild for them and next to them were their names spelled out in huge letters, Eliza and Cogg. They looked amazing and were being showered in roses. It looks like District Three is stealing the night. District Four then came on, the girl I now noticed had a blue streak in her hair like my green streak,

"Is that new?" Oliver asked,

"What?" I asked,

"The streak, is that new?" he asked again,

"Yeah" I answered, "do you like it?"

Oliver didn't answer,

The girl from four kept blowing kisses to the crowd and they, mostly the boys, went wild. The male tribute cuddled up to her and she threw him off,

_Geez, _I thought, _she's kind of mean_

Districts Five and Six then came on and received lots of cheers and nothing more. Then, our places flashed on the screen. All attention was on us now. I just smiled to the crown but I couldn't bring myself to wave. Oliver smiled and waved and made some of the girls go a little crazy. Before we even flashed off the screen everyone's eyes just rolled over us. I could tell that they had the same thoughts of Johanna,

"Trees? Again?" Johanna repeated in my mind,

The other districts looked really good. Especially Twelve. Usually, twelve is usually naked or coal miners. These tributes though, looked great. On the top, they had black leather jackets with shoulder pads that looked like coal. They had black shorts and everything under that was naked. As you got closer and closer to the bottom, the legs got darker and darker, like coal. On their legs, they had little pieces of what looked like coal studded on top of them. They looked great. The boy looked uncomfortable to be there but the girl was confident. She had her hands on her hips and didn't give on smile or wave to anyone. She looked terrifying, but awesome at the same time. Before they flashed to President Snow, I got a slight glimpse of her name, Raven.

The horses then made their way to their designated spot under where President Snow and the gamemakers sat. President Snow the stepped up to a microphone and looked down on all of us and boomed,

"Welcome, tributes, fans, and everyone else, to the beginning of the seventy-second hunger games" Oliver shot another glance at me and I don't know why, "we honor all of your courage, dignity, and sacrifice. May the odds be ever in your favor, and we wish you a happy Hunger Games"

The chariot then began to move again and we went into a new building. Inside, Astra was waiting for us. I jumped off the chariot and Oliver followed,

"That was amazing!" she squealed, "you guys must've earned some sponsors!"

The horses then went away, their hooves clicking on the street. The other tributes disappeared in an elevator and we waited for Blight and Johanna. A slop clap began behind us. I turned around to see Blight and Johanna,

"Well done" Blight praised,

"Now lets now waste any time, we have to show you your new rooms!" Astra exclaimed,

We walked into a glass elevator. The elevator moved up and I held onto the side railing hard. I've never been in one of these before. My palms were sweaty as we moved up,

"Each district gets their own floor" Astra and began, "so obviously since you guys are are District Seven, you guys get the entire seventh floor!"

Oliver looked at me and smiled. Not in a happy way though, in a smug way,

"Why so scared?" he teased,

"Never been in an elevator?" Astra asked,

I nodded and looked down. We were so high up that I could barely see the ground. The elevator then came to a stop and I sighed with relief. We walked out of the elevator and opened a giant door. I gasped at the beauty of the room. A huge diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling, so shiny I could almost see my reflection. There was a beautiful table with six chairs, one for each of us to sit at. There was food that lined the table, I ran for it but Astra held me back. The was a huge, curved leather couch big enough to seat twelve people. Under it was a white fuzzy rug. There was also a huge screen for a TV to appear on. The room had giant windows that showed us beautiful night view of the Capitol. Astra led us each to a room that would become ours for the next few days.

Just like the room itself, I was absolutely stunned. I jumped on the bed and sprawled out like a kid. The bed felt like a cloud. The covers were green and very comfortable. A huge mirror hung from the ceiling and under it was a dresser made of the same wood as the table. I ran up to it to see in tiny print on the side, made in district seven. I pressed my nose to it and smelled it, it even smelled like home. There was also a remote on my nightstand and a projector. I clicked the power button on and on the screen appeared the tribute parade. I watched as Claudius and Caesar talked as we rolled own the Capitol street in the chariots. On the bed was an orange nightshirt and a pair of silky, white pants. I slipped off the beautiful dress that Myles made and I felt weird to be naked again. I slipped the shirt on over my naked top and the same with the pants. Why is the Capitol giving me so much silk to wear? I do love it though and I'm not complaining. I removed my jewelry and earrings gently and set them on the nightstand. I took the pins and rubber band out of my hair and let it sit down on my shoulders. My hair looked wavy after the prep team and the green streak was still there, it stood out against my black hair. My makeup was still there and I looked around for a bathroom. There was a door next to my bed that I've never opened. I grabbed the smooth brass doorknob and turned it. Behind the door was a bathroom. There was a frosted glass door that had a shower behind it, it was weird and different though. The showers from district seven are not their own chambers. We always fill a bag with water and hang it from a nail in the wall of a small stall in it. We poke the holes in the bag and get under the water as it rains down on us. This shower had a metal showerhead and when I turned a knob, it spurted out fresh water that was warm. I'm not used to showering in warm water. I pulled my hand out and turned it off. I went to the sink and began to use the cold water to wash my makeup off my face.

I grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with water. I dabbed it above and below my eyes and rubbed off the makeup. I gently pulled of the jewels and threw them out. I rubbed off the tree branches around my eyes and they soon disappeared after a minute or two of rubbing. I rubbed off the blush and lipstick and I pulled the leaves out of my hair and threw them out. My face was soon blank without any makeup and I looked natural. I also looked different, I didn't look like the person from District Seven girl I was about a couple days ago.

I walked out of my room into the dining area where Astra, Oliver, Johanna, and Blight sat at the table,

"Wow Alex you look so…" Astra trailed off,

"Different?" I asked, "yeah, I know"

I pulled up a chair and sat down. An avox poured some water into my glass and I looked around the table. Sitting on a metal platter was a duck. I sliced some of it off and put it on my plate. I cut it up and shoved some in my mouth. It tasted great. I've always wanted to try it, I've seen many rich people eating it before, and now it's my turn. After I ate, I went to my room, pulled the silky covers over me and fell asleep,

"Tomorrow's training day" I mumbled, "get some sleep"


	7. Chapter 7-Training Day One

**Does anyone have any ideas for what should happen in the arena? PM me with any ideas.**

**Oh and I might not upload chapter eight for a couple days because I have projects for school I need to work on.**

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I'm running, darting through trees. Who am I running from? I turned around to see a faceless tribute. A heavy axe appeared in my hand, I turned around to throw it at the tribute, it hit the tribute right in the chest. I screamed, but the scream was silent. The cannon boomed, but then again. It boomed repeatedly and wouldn't stop, even after twenty-three times, it wouldn't stop. I covered my ears and shrank to the ground.

"Alex, you're ok, it's only a dream"

I opened my eyes, the alarm clock was beeping rapidly and Johanna was holding me still. The door flew open and Astra tumbled in,

"What in the name of the Capitol is going on here?" she screeched, "why is Alex screaming bloody murder?"

"Nothing" I grumbled, "just a bad dream"

Astra and Johanna left the room and I turned off my alarm clock. On my bed were the training clothes. The shirt was a tight, black short sleeved shirt with a russet brown stripe on each side, our district color. The back had a huge white seven on it. The pants were just tight black leggings and there were black boots as well. I took off my sleeping clothes and slipped on the training clothes. I brushed my hair and put it in a ponytail. I walked out of the bathroom, out of my room, and into the dining hall. The table was filled with many foods and everyone was there. I sat down at the table and grabbed another thing I didn't know the name of. It was a hard, round piece of bread with squares in it,

"Waffles" Johanna said, "they're called waffles"

"Oh! And I forgot!" Astra exclaimed, "you need to be in the training room by nine"

"What time is it now?" I asked,

"Around eight thirty" Blight answered,

I quickly began to eat the waffles and what looked like to be bacon. I quickly scoffed them down the bacon and waffles,

"Ready to go?" I asked to Oliver,

"Yep" he grumbled,

We opened the door and walked over to the elevator. I clicked the button on the side and the elevator came to us. There were people inside it, I could recognize it from their appearances. Inside were the people from District Twelve. I walked into the elevator, it was a little crammed. It started to move down and no one talked until Raven broke the silence,

"You guys from District Seven?" Raven asked,

"Yeah" I answered, "I'm Alex"

I extended my hand for her to shake it,

"I know" she replied, "Raven"

We shook hands and left the boys to introduce themselves,

"Oliver" he introduced as he shook Raven's hand,

The district twelve boy stood silent, leaning against the wall until Raven shoved him,

"Oh, hmm, what was that?" he asked, "Bryce, I'm Bryce"

Once we got to the bottom, we walked out of the elevator. We also had to walk down a flight of stairs to enter the training room. Almost all of the tributes are there. Everyone's heads turned towards us as we awkwardly walked into the room. I pushed my way through the crowd to get to the front, for some reason no one was training already. Raven was standing next to me,

"What are we waiting for?" I asked,

Raven held her finger to her mouth and pointed to a Peacekeeper in front of us. This one looked different, she wore a black beret and a white bodysuit instead of a helmet and armor. She only wore little bit of armor and wore black boots. She had olive skin and a black ponytail slipping down her shoulder, her brown eyes felt like they were piercing my skin,

"In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead, and only one of you will be alive" she began, "who that is depends on how much you pay attention over the next few days"

I looked around the training center. There was a lot of stuff and above us the Gamemakers sat in their own room with tons of food and watched us train,

"Pay careful attention to what I'm about to say" she continued, "first, no fighting with the other tributes, you'll have plenty of time for that in the arena"

She said that last part with a little chuckle. Why is she laughing at something so serious,

"You will have four days to train and on the final day will be your evaluation" she continued, "my advice is, don't ignore the survival skills. Anyone can grab a sword but most of you will die from natural causes"

I looked around, how many survival stations are there in here? It looked like there was some net-making, a fire making station, and then lots of other survival stations,

"Ten percent from infection, twenty percent from dehydration. Exposure can kill just as easily as a knife, good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor"

After that, she let us all go and train. What did Johanna say? Make allies, right. I looked around at the other tributes. The careers all gathered around the weapons, taking what they needed. I examined them, the District One girl, Velvet, grabbed a bow. She was tall and thin and looked fast. She pulled back the string and let the arrow fly, it missed the target the first time. She cursed under her breath and then shot the arrow again. This time, the arrow went flying right to the dummy and hit it right in forehead. Velvet didn't look like she could be messed with.

Then there was the boy, Vulture, was that his name? Right, Vulture. He held a long sword with a curved end. He was cutting down dummies right and left like I did to trees. He looked strong and lethal, nothing to sneeze at. Vulture was very small though, he didn't have a tall masculine body and could only be around five foot eight. His height didn't seem to matter at all though. The girl from District Two was using throwing knives and always hit the target. No misses, the knives went straight to the heart. The boy was very skilled with a spear. He was a lot taller than Vulture but didn't look as tough. He missed a bit but every time he hit it looked lethal. The last of the careers were the tributes from four. The pretty girl from last night, Marina, used a trident. She was very skilled with it just as the other careers were with their weapons. The three points of the trident would sometimes hit the target, and she didn't look as good as the other tributes. Marina was very pretty though and would draw lots of sponsors. The only career who wasn't using a weapon was the district four boy. He was over at a survival station weaving nets. He didn't look like he'd fit in with the careers.

"Looking at the careers?"

I turned around to see a girl, not Raven though. Her thick red hair was tied up in a ponytail and her face was dotted with freckles. A five was printed on her shoulder,

"Yeah" I answered, "they look good this year"

"The guys from two are Caecilia and Julius" she said, "the kids from four are Marina and Luke"

"How old are they?" I asked,

"All eighteen, except for Luke who is sixteen" she answered, "Karlee Meyers, District Five"

I shook her hand and smiled at her,

"Alex Vice, District Seven" I replied,

"So what do you got?" she asked,

I stood up and walked over to the weapons. Which one should I try first? There were so many deadly weapons at my fingertips. I brushed my hand against an axe, it looked a lot more different than my one at home. The blade was sharp and not old, it was made for killing and not chopping down trees. I picked up the axe and it dragged my arms down. This one is a lot heavier. I lifted the weight and I walked over to a dummy. I lifted the axe above my head and swung it against the dummy and it fell right in half like a tree,

"Hey Seven!" someone shouted, "you're not at home anymore. Those aren't trees!"

My head turned to Vulture where the sound came from. Once Vulture shouted that, all eyes were on me. Karlee leaned over and whispered to me,

"They're paying attention, better not embarrass yourself"

I walked over to a new dummy and swung the axe. It found itself right in the dummy's arm and cut it off. I did the same to the next one and then I swung it again, cutting off the legs. The dummy fell to the ground and I speared it in the chest with it. If this was a person, it would be dead. My hands would be stained with blood and screams would fill the air. I used the axe to slit the dummy's throat and cut off its head. The round, lifeless head of the dummy rolled along the training floor. I looked at Vulture,

"Is that good enough for you?" I shouted at Vulture,

"Yeah" he smirked, "nice job Seven"

After that, everyone went back to training. Karlee and Raven were the first to walk over to me after that,

"Wanna be allies?" they both asked,

"You're awesome with an axe!" Karlee exclaimed,

"Where did you learn to do that?" Raven asked,

"I don't know" I admitted, "I guess I do well under pressure"

I picked up the axe and put it back where I found it and then walked back over to Karlee and Raven,

"What can you two do?" I asked,

"I can shoot a bow" Karlee answered,

"And I can use throwing knives" Raven answered,

"Can you show me?" I asked,

Karlee was the first to go. Velvet put her bow down for a minute to try and use a spear which she was failing at. Karlee walked over to a target and loaded an arrow into her bow. She drew the string back and shot at the target. She missed the heart by a few inches. She tried again and loaded another one in, this time it missed the target entirely. She loaded one more arrow in and took a deep breath, she pulled the string back and released the arrow. This time the arrow flew right to the heart and landed right in the center like she was a career,

"Where did you learn to do that?" I asked,

"I took some archery classes when I was little" she answered, "I kept doing it for a while and now I guess I'm ok at it?"

"Your turn Raven" I said,

Raven walked over to the weapons and grabbed some throwing knives. She began to throw them at the targets. The knives never made a complete miss but either found themselves in or close to the heart. None of them hit the heart exactly,

"Where do those skills come from?" Karlee asked,

"Throwing darts" Raven answered, "I played that game back at home. It was the only entertainment I had"

"So do we have an alliance?" Karlee asked,

"We do" Raven answered, shaking Karlee's hand, "you?"

I shook Karlee and Raven's hand, "we have a team"

I spent the rest of the day learning to use the new axe. I knew that in order to survive in the games I needed to find a way to get an axe in the games. Twenty-three other tributes also have the same goal, and it will be hard to beat them all. I watched Oliver fight using a sickle. He actually was really good with it and he was slashing dummies right and left. Oliver might actually be a threat, my biggest threat,

"Hey Alex!" he shouted, "this one's for you!"

He slashed a dummies throat open and stuffing flew out like it was blood. He hit it in the chest and turned it around and around in there, cutting up all of the stuffing inside. He then slashed up the dummies head and it flew over to me. I caught it and looked at the bodiless head, I could see it as mine and I immediately dropped it. I realized that Oliver is seriously out to kill me, and he is just imagining this dummy is me.

The training went for a little longer and we ate lunch in the training center. It was just a chicken sandwich and then I got right back to training. I kept figuring out how to use the axe and after a while I had it down. I could slash dummies up right and left and it felt natural to me,

"Hey Oliver!" I shouted, he turned his head to me, "this one's for you!"

I mimicked his technique of killing me. I used the axe to slit the dummy's throat and then shoved the axe in its chest. I turned it around and around, grinding the insides. I cut off the head then and it fell to the ground. I dropped the axe and picked up the head and threw it to Oliver. Raven and Karlee smiled at me,

"Nice" Raven complimented,

"What do you got against this guy anyways?" Karlee asked,

I told them my entire volunteering story and how I took Eve's place. I told them how Oliver wanted to kill me for taking Eve's place,

"Wow" Karlee said,

"Yeah" I replied,

"Don't worry Alex, we'll kill him" Raven comforted, "and we won't die until he does"

The rest of the day flew by and one training day was gone. At dinner, I told Johanna about Karlee and Raven and it seemed like she wasn't listening,

"Good" Blight replied, "it seems like they are good teammates"

Oliver didn't say anything the entire night except for when Johanna asked him something,

"So what weapon are you guys going to use?"

"Hmmm, oh a sickle" he answered,

"Axe" I answered,

After that I went back into my room and changed into my nightclothes that I was given. I slid under the comfy covers and fell asleep. Tomorrow is the second training day, one more day closer to the games. Once I enter that arena, everything matters.


	8. Chapter 8-Training Days Two and Three

**Two chapters in one! Enjoy my special gift to you. This double-edition means I won't be posting a chapter tomorrow**

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I woke up the next morning and changed back into my training clothes. Johanna said the Training Center was open at nine and I could go down any time I wanted. I sat down at the table and quickly ate something. Oliver was gone and was probably already downstairs,

"What time is it?" I asked,

"Past nine" Blight answered, "so once you are ready go downstairs"

I quickly cleared my plate and walked out of the room into the elevator. It went straight down with no stops and I was soon on the main floor. I walked into the basement and into the training area. I looked around for Raven and Karlee, they were over by the fire-making station,

"Alex! Over here!" Karlee shouted,

I ran over to them and sat down next to them in the fire-making station. We were surrounded by fake grass and trees. Karlee had a pile of sticks in lying out in front of us. Raven came back with some wire and wrapped the sticks up together in a tepee formation,

"Why were you late?" Raven asked as she tied the sticks,

"I slept in" I answered, "after this, can we do some more combat training?"

Karlee shook her head, "we've made a training plan"

"Today we'll do survival skills" Raven interrupted, "tomorrow we'll do the exercises like The Gauntlet and on the final day we'll do more combat and we'll plan out strategies"

Karlee disappeared again and came back with a bunch of leaves in her hand, all of which were crumbly and dead,

"What are those?" I asked,

"Tinder" she answered, "helps with the fire"

We stuffed the tinder under the sticks so the entire formation was filled. Karlee handed me a box of matches. I took out one and struck it against the side of the box. It ignited and the fire danced in front of me. I dropped the match in the sticks and the fire ignited. We all jumped back as the fire danced in front of us. We cheered for a minute before we put the fire out. We made fires for a little more time before moving on to hammock making.

At the station an instructor showed us how to do it. He showed us how to weave together string and thick leaves and then hang it from the trees. We each made our own. I was given some string and some leaves. I went to the string first and I weaved one over another so it made an interlocking pattern. After a while, my fingers had a mind of their own and picked up the leaves to keep going. After a while, my fingers hurt but my hammock was done. Raven's was the best and Karlee's unraveled the minute she hung hers. I walked over to the tree and took one end of my hammock and tied it and did the same to the other. It hung perfectly but once I got on it snapped. We decided to move onto edible plants and insects.

The station was basically a matching game. On the screen you had to click on the edible plants and insects, the edible ones that you clicked lit up in yellow and the ones that didn't lit up in red. The plants each had a small picture and their name above it. I looked at the first plant, amaranth. I clicked on it, I knew it was edible. It lit up on the screen in yellow. I looked at the next one, nightlock. I laughed, everyone knows nightlock is poisonous. I skipped over it and went to the next, english yew. I clicked on it but it flashed on the screen in red. I kept clicking on plants, some lit up in yellow and others red. Clovers, chicory, chickweed, ants, cockroaches, crickets, and mealworms all lit up in yellow. Castor beans, jimsonweed, and pines all lit up in red. By the time I was finished my score lit up on the board, 91.7%,

"Try and beat that!" I shouted

Karlee walked up to the station and started up a new game. She lit up more red than I did. God, Karlee would die if it came to plants. Raven came out with a score of 63%. Raven went next, and she was mostly yellow. She rapidly clicked buttons and the screen danced with yellow. When she was done she walked away with a smile on her face and a score of 97%,

"How did you do that?" I asked,

"In Twelve you gotta know what plants are edible" Raven answered, "my family can only afford a loaf of bread per day. All three of my family members have to share that one loaf"

"God" I replied, "how poor is your family?"

"That's why I volunteered" she said, "so if I win, I can take care of my family"

"Wow" Karlee said, "that's a better reason to win than I have"

Next we did fishing. We were given two fishing rods that would probably be used in the Hunger Games, nothing fancy. It was a stick with thick string and a hook at the end. We placed them in a pool with lots of fish swimming in them. I couldn't tell if they were fake or not but they looked real, just like all Capitol things. I cast the fishing rod in the water and waited for a fish to bite. Karlee and Raven did the same and while we waited for a bite we talked,

"So how did you get involved in these stupid games?" Raven asked,

"Volunteered for my older sister, Eve" I answered,

"Reaped" Karlee murmured, she twiddled her thumbs and stuck the rod between her thighs,

"Got any siblings?" I asked,

"Nope" Raven answered,

"Older bro" Karlee replied,

"What do you guys do at home for a living?" I asked, "I'm a lumberjack"

"I'm a bit of a butcher but it doesn't make that much" Raven answered,

"I don't have to do anything" Karlee chimed, "just go to school and learn every day"

"I got a bite!" Raven exclaimed,

She pulled up her rod to reveal a fish. It flopped around at the station for a minute before disappearing,

"Must be a hologram" I grumbled,

The rest of the day flew by and we got to the rest of the survival stations. We got to camouflage in which Raven was amazing at. Then we also got to knots, shelters, snare-setting, hunting, and tree climbing. I was the best at hunting and tree climbing. With hunting, I was able to destroy the targets easily with my axe. At tree climbing, I was able to scale the fake trees in seconds. Being a lumberjack must've paid off, I know the texture of trees and how to climb them. I need to sometimes get up a tree to cut off branches. Tomorrow we'd be spending our time doing the training exercises.

I woke up the next day and bolted into the elevator. I ate a quick breakfast and ran out of the door as fast as I could. The Gauntlets usually fill up fast. The only ones down there were Raven, Karlee, the Careers, Oliver, and Mia. Raven and Karlee were over at The Gauntlets,

"Hey Alex!" Karlee shouted, "over here!"

I ran over to them, they were standing by The Gauntlets. The Gauntlets are a bunch of platforms that you have to jump across while a trainer tries to knock you off with a foam club-like object. There was no one there but us,

"Hey Atala, can you set us up?" Raven asked,

Atala, the head trainer grabbed the club and set up The Gauntlets. They sprung out of the ground and Atala placed mats around them so if we fell we wouldn't get hurt,

"Who's first?" Atala asked,

"Me!" Karlee exclaimed,

She jumped up onto the Gauntlets and began to jump to each one. Atala swung the bat at her and hit her in the stomach but Karlee didn't fly off. She stood still for a minute and jumped to the next platform,

"You okay?" Atala asked,

"Yeah" Karlee answered,

Karlee kept jumping from one to another. She dodged Atala's swings and Karlee dodged them. She was very nimble and quick and was able to dodge Atala's swings with her thin shape,

"Woo! Go Karlee!" I cheered

Atala then swung the club again and Karlee was knocked off The Gauntlets. She sat up and then walked over to us,

Raven slapped her on the back, "nice try"

Raven went up next and got hit a couple times. She got hit but never went down. Raven's tough and I like that about her. Karlee is sweet and optimistic, she's very enthusiastic and funny. I'm like the combination of the two. Raven was so close to the end but the Atala swung the club and Raven fell right off. She landed on her back and walked back over to us with a frown on her face,

"Your turn Alex!" Karlee exclaimed,

I climbed up onto the first platform and dodged Atala's first swing. I could feel the air from the swing. I jumped to the next platform and started to run, Atala couldn't catch up to me. She swung the club and I dodged it, stepping out of the way. Atala was surprised every time she missed and so was I. I have to dodge falling trees, that may help here. I ran to the next one and jumped, flying through the air. I was close to the final one. Atala swung the club and it knocked me down. I fell on my back on the hard platform. I pushed myself up and jumped to the final platform. I stood up and then collapsed on the platform. I tried to catch my breath before sliding off. When my feet touched the ground, I noticed the Careers watching me. Julius walked over to me accompanied by Caecilia,

"Nice job Seven" Caecilia complimented, "whaddya say you join us?"

"Yeah" Julius added, "you'd survive longer with us anyways"

I turned around to see Raven and Karlee, I've already promised to ally with them. Even though they aren't as good, they are still my friends,

"Sorry, but I already have allies" I answered,

"How about this?" Marina asked as she came up to me, "you and me on The Gauntlets, if I win, you join us. If you win, we'll leave you alone"

"Deal" I replied,

Atala set up a new round of The Gauntlets. Marina went first and another trainer got a stopwatch,

"Ready, set go!"

Marina ran up the Gauntlets like a flash of lightning. She easily dodged Atala's swings and was even more nimble than Karlee. She didn't even get hit once, and she jumped quickly to the final platform,

"Time!" the trainer shouted, "twenty five seconds!"

In order to keep my allies and friends, I had to beat Marina on The Gauntlets. I climbed up onto the first platform, just like the games I would have to make a strategy. I'd need to use all of my speed and skill to beat her time. No time for waiting and dodging, I'd just need to keep running and jumping,

"Ready, set, go!"

I ran forward and as fast as I could. I jumped from platform to platform, dodging every single one of her swings. I was too fast for her and I dodged every single one of the swings. The last platform was only a couple away. I made a huge daring leap for the last one but as I did Atala swung at my legs and I went down. I was hanging onto the edge of the last platform. I pulled myself up but Atala kept hitting my hands and tried to make me fall off. Without thinking, I kicked Atala and pulled myself up onto the final platform. Raven and Karlee cheered,

"What...was my time?" I panted,

"Twenty three seconds"

Raven, Karlee, and I ran over to each other and cheered. The Careers had a depressed expression. Am I really good enough for the Careers to want me? We then did the ropes course and we also did some hand-to-hand combat training and wrestling. Raven was surprisingly strong and would take out the trainer easily. For me it took a little longer and Karlee would sometimes get taken out. We only had one more day to train before the final evaluation, the individual session. Then we'd have the Interviews, and then into the games we went. I need to enjoy the next few days, because in the arena I'm going to die.


	9. Chapter 9-Training Day Four

**I'm publishing two chapters today, so that means I won't be having one tomorrow. Sorry I'm so busy and I hope to return to a regular publishing schedule soon.**

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Today is the last day of training. I'm spending today strategizing with Raven and Karlee and watching the other tributes. I quickly got dressed for the last time before the evaluation and then ran to the dining room to eat some breakfast. For the first time this week, Oliver was there as well. I pulled up a chair and sat next to Blight,

"What's for breakfast today?" I asked,

"French toast and bacon" Astra answered, "and its delightful!"

I grabbed the plate and served myself a loaf of the french toast. I grabbed the butter as well and spread it over the bread. I put it in my mouth. I chewed the toast and crumbs went flying everywhere. I grabbed another loaf and reached for the butter when Johanna stopped me and handed me something,

"Try it with this" Johanna suggested, "it's called syrup"

I took the bottle from Johanna and opened it up. When I turned it down a brown, sugary liquid came out. I poured it on the french toast and put it in my mouth. It added a very sweet taste the the otherwise almost tasteless french toast. After I finished it, the clock chimed to signal nine o' clock. I stood up, almost pushing the chair over, and ran outside the door. I opened the elevator and walked in. Oliver soon walked out and came into the elevator,

"No need to rush Alex" Oliver said, "the training center isn't going anywhere"

The elevator started and went down but then stopped on the sixth floor. Mia and her district partner came in. Mia moaned and crashed against the wall,

"Anything wrong Mia?" I asked,

"That baby if Porter over there was crying all night about the games" Mia moaned, "he wouldn't shut up and I got no sleep"

"Hey!" Porter shouted, "at least you have a chance of survival!"

The elevator went back down to the main floor. Mia, Porter, Oliver, and I walked down the stairs into the Training Center. Karlee and Raven sat down on the floor in the middle of the center. I walked over to them and sat down,

"Hey" I mumbled, "ready to strategize?"

"Yeah" Raven replied, "I think we should strategize for the Cornucopia"

"Should we go for it?" Karlee asked, "we could die"

"Yeah, but if we don't we may not get supplies" Raven added, "we should make a plan"

"I have an idea" I said, "maybe one of us should get supplies while the rest run and we can meet up with each other"

"That's a good idea" Raven said, "who is going to go though?"

"I will" I volunteered, "I can run and try to get us some supplies and weapons"

"Ok" Karlee replied, "but where should we meet up?"

"We know nothing about the arena" Raven replied, "so maybe we should wait on the outskirts of the Cornucopia for Alex"

"That sounds like a good plan" I said, "we should probably eliminate tributes as well"

"I think at least us, the Careers, Mia, Eliza, Cogg, Brenton, Oliver, Ed, Landon, and Mae will survive the bloodbath" Karlee predicted,

"How do you know all of these tributes?" I asked,

Karlee shrugged, "I spent my time paying attention to their names, I can even named each one from start to finish by district"

"Do it"

"Velvet, Vulture, Caecilia, Julius, Eliza, Cogg, Marina, Luke, me, Brenton, Maya, Porter, you, Oliver, Aaliyah, Ed, Krysten, Ash, Candice, Landon, Mae, Otto, Raven, and Bryce"

"Wow" Raven and I gasped.

"I think our biggest challenge will be Oliver and the Careers" Karlee said, "and I think if Oliver comes around, we should let Alex take care of him"

"I agree" I added, "I want to give him a taste of his own medicine. Maybe even use his killing strategy"

We looked around at each tribute and watched them, labeling the either a threat or not. The Careers were all labeled threats except for Luke. Luke isn't your normal Career, and he's actually spent most of his training time with Ash and Otto, both labeled not threats, and I think they may have an alliance. Eliza and Codd look very smart but not strong. I guess they could end up like Beetee. Both seem good with a wire and they can use their smarts to their advantages. Brenton is a gentle giant. He's tall and tough, but he refuses to join the Careers or fight with weapons. He's been spending this whole time at the survival stations. Most of the other tributes are weak in a way, but each one has a strong point. The day went by and we kept strategizing. After all, this is the last time we'll talk before the games. If it is a dessert arena, we're only going for supplies, same with if its a tundra arena. If it is a jungle, a forest, or a swamp, we're going for weapons. Tomorrow is the evaluation, we need to get high scores so we can earn sponsors. Raven is going to throw her knives and hunt. Karlee is going to work her skills on the ropes course. I'm either doing the Gauntlets or use the axe.

I walked back to my room and flopped down on the bed. I quickly changed out of the training clothes and into my pajamas. I pulled up the covers and sunk into the bed. There was a knock on the door,

"Come in" I grumbled,

The door opened and Johanna walked in, her hair in a ponytail sliding down her shoulder,

"Whaddya doin' for tomorrow?" she asked,

"Either I'll use my axe or do the Gauntlets" I answered,

"Do both" Johanna answered, "start with your axe, and then do the Gauntlets, that'll impress him"

"Who's him?" I asked,

"Seneca Crane" Johanna answered, "it's his first year, he's the newest head gamemaker, you'll see him tomorrow, he's the guy with the weird beard"

"What did you do?" I asked,

"I acted at failing with the axe" Johanna answered, "I got a five"

"What score usually gets the most sponsors?" I asked,

"Try and get somewhere from nine to twelve" Johanna answered, "good luck, get some rest"

Johanna left and I sunk into my bed and fell asleep. I'd need lots of rest for tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10-The Evaluation

**Posting the scores for everyone at the bottom**

* * *

"Velvet Coppola"

I sat in the waiting room, hands folded on my lap, leaning over and tapping my foot. I leaned against the wall, nervous. I looked at Raven at the end, she'd be going last. Karlee is a couple seats ahead of me, she turns her head and then smiles. She mouths the words, good luck. Then she turns back and talks to Brenton for a bit. I looked over at Oliver,

"What are you going to do?" I asked,

"Why would I tell" he answered with a smirk,

Everyone went by. Most of the Careers came out with a smile on their face. Cogg came out with an electrified effect all over him. He must've messed up something. Everyone came out with a different expression,

"Oliver Roberts"

Oliver got up and left the room. He had a smile spread across his face. The doors were opened for him and he walked in. For the next ten minutes, the room was almost completely silent except for grunts from Oliver. The door then opened and Oliver walked out, a bigger smile on his face than one of the Careers,

"Alex Vice"

I got up and shook as I walked over to the door. I stopped in my steps, what if I get a low score? What

if they laugh at me? What if I die in the arena?

"Alex, please keep moving" a Peacekeeper ordered,

I kept walking forward into the room and then the door closed behind me. I was surrounded by deadly weapons that all of the sudden felt horrifying to me. I saw something on the ground, a chopped up dummy. I walked over to it. It was all chopped up on the ground, and I knew it was killed with Oliver's killing method for me. But my heart stopped when I saw the word Alex painted in big black letters on its chest. Seneca Crane coughed, and I looked up at him, realizing they were still there,

"Alex Vice" I shouted, "District Seven"

I grabbed an axe and walked over to a dummy. I shook as I lifted the axe and cut off the dummy's head. I stabbed it in the chest and cut off its arms. I turned to the dummy behind me and began to slice it up from the top. Parts of it went flying everywhere. I turned to the dummy behind me and stabbed it in the chest and then slit its throat. I grabbed a smaller throwing axe and walked over to a target. I walked back twenty feet and threw the axe, it hit a couple inches from the heart. I grabbed another one and when I threw it, it went right to the heart. I looked at the Gamemakers, all with a surprised expression. I looked at the dead dummies on the floor, and the axe in my hands. I'm a killer, I can kill like I've been doing it forever. I dropped the axe and it clanked on the ground. I would get a high score, and then everyone would want to kill me because I was the biggest threat. I held back a scream to show how strong I am to the Gamemakers. The higher of a score I got, the more Oliver and the Careers would want to have the pleasure of killing me. I'm sure I'm on the kill list for both of them. I felt tears well up in my eyes but I sniffed them back,

"Ms. Vice, are you ok?" Seneca asked,

"Yes" I answered,

I slaughtered a couple more dummies before dropping the axe. I still have a couple more minutes. I walked over to the Gamemakers and looked up at that,

"Oh, and by the ways, I'm going to come out of your stupid arena alive" I shouted, "and when I'm out, I'll never be able to forget what you've done to me, and I will never, ever be proud of myself. How can you do this? Force innocent children, your children, to fight to the death in an arena. You're as good as any killer you've whipped to death or just shot. None of us are killing for the fame or fortune, we're killing to survive, because we have families, because we are fighting against you"

"Oh really?" Seneca asked, "this is more than just watching you kill for fun. This serves as a reminder that we still have control over you"

"You don't have control over me" I shouted, "and you never will. And what about the Capitol people? They bet on us like race horses and cheer when we kill? What can you say about them?"

"Can you please either continue your demonstration or leave?" Seneca asked,

"No" I shouted, "because one day, you will fall. Once I leave that arena, I will never step foot in the Capitol ever again. I will find a way to leave Panem, and once I do, I'll be laughing at you"

"I'm going to ask you to leave" Seneca said calmly,

"And it will be my honor" I replied,

A Peacekeeper grabbed my arm but on my own will I was able to leave the room. I walked out of the waiting room past the other nervous tributes and out of the room. I smiled, proud of my performance. What score would they give me? The Gamemakers hate rebellious acts, being affiliated with Snow. My score won't matter though, I will win those games. I will show the Gamemakers they cannot control me, and I will not just be another reminder.

We all sat anxious on the couch, watching the Capitol symbol in the screen with the anthem playing in the background. Myles sat next to me, holding my hand so tight that I could feel him cutting off my circulation,

"Aren't you so excited?" Myles asked,

"Yeah" I grumbled,

I'm more excited to see how the gamemakers reacted to my ranting towards them. My mouth sort of went running with all of the thoughts I've been holding in. I told Johanna about what I did, I expected her to shout. All she did was smile and praise me. The Capitol seal disappeared and Cesar came on. He started with District One and the careers all had high scores. Velvet and Vulture both got tens, Caecilia got the highest score, scoring an eleven. Marina scored a nine, Luke got a seven,\and Julius got a ten. Eliza and Cogg got decent scores, scoring a seven and a seven. Karlee got a seven as well, I wonder what she did. Brenton got a five as well as Porter from six. Mia got a nine, and then District Seven came on. They began with Oliver. A holographic version of his face appeared on the screen. Cesar looked down at his paper and said,

"Oliver Roberts" Cesar said, "a nine"

Everyone in the room clapped. We cheered, except for me. I was the only one whose hands were still folded nervously in their lap. The higher Oliver's score is, the easier it'll be for him to kill me. The cheering then silenced as my holographic face appeared on the screen. Do I really look like that? My thin face had almost no expression in it and my green eyes pierced through the screen. Cesar looked down on his paper,

"Alex Vice" he read, "a shocking eleven"

_An eleven? _I thought, _how could shouting at them get me an eleven?_

The room erupted into cheers. Astra opened a bottle of champagne and the adults began to drink the celebration. I had a smile, but I couldn't bring myself to cheer. An eleven is higher than the Careers, another reason for them to kill me. Oliver was cheering, but I could tell he was only acting. He walked over to me,

"See you in the arena" he whispered, "everyone'll wanna kill you there"

His words made my throat clog and I stopped cheering. He was right, the last score was Raven's. She got an eight. No one's score was as high as eleven. Oliver's right, in the arena, everyone is going to want to kill me.

* * *

**District 1**

Velvet, 10

Vulture, 10

**District 2**

Caecilia, 11

Julius, 10

**District 3**

Eliza, 5

Cogg, 7

**District 4**

Marina, 9

Luke, 7

**District 5**

Karlee, 7

Brenton, 5

**District 6**

Mia, 9

Porter, 5

**District 7**

Alex, 11

Oliver, 10

**District 8**

Aaliyah, 6

Ed, 8

**District 9**

Krysten, 3

Ash, 2

**District 10**

Candice, 4

Landon, 4

**District 11**

Mae, 5

Otto, 3

**District 12**

Raven, 8

Bryce, 5


	11. Chapter 11-The Interview

**Please read what's written at the bottom, it's very important**

* * *

I woke up the next morning to Astra's squeals of excitement. She ran into my room, her hair now pink and dotted with flowers. She looked like a huge field, with a dress that looked like it was made entirely of tulips,

"It's interview day!" she squealed, "you're gonna be on TV!"

"So?" I grunted, "can you leave me alone?"

"How can you be so grumpy on a day like this?" she asked, "you're going to be on TV!"

"Just go away" I grunted,

"Darling, you have to get out of bed" Astra moaned, "you can't be this grumpy all day"

"I said, GO AWAY!"

I reached around on my nightstand for something to throw. My hand found a roll of bread and I hurled it at Astra. She gasped, and then ran out of the room. I pulled the covers over my face and I closed my eyes. After last night, I couldn't sleep. I had nightmares last night. Nightmares of my blood on other tributes hands, nightmares of me dying. I had nightmares of Oliver slitting my throat, decapitating me, and sticking his long, curved sickle into my chest.

"Hey Alex, can I come in?"

It was Johanna's voice. Without even saying yes, she walked in. Johanna shook me, and I threw her hand off,

"I just want to sleep" I grumbled,

"The interviews, Alex" Johanna said, "remember?"

"I don't wanna go" I grumbled,

"Alex, don't make me do this" Johanna sighed, "stop acting like a two-year-old, get your butt out of bed, and get dressed"

Johanna grabbed the covers and threw them off me. They collapsed on the ground and I was left on the cold surface of the bed. I got out of the bed, there's nothing I can do to get out of the interview. Johanna smirked and walked out of the room. I got dressed in the clothes the avoxes left for me. A teal t-shirt and white leggings.

I sat down and looked across the table to see Blight. He was eating eggs and bacon,

"Morning Alex" he said with a smile,

"Morning" I grunted,

I grabbed the plate of scrambled eggs and took a little for myself. I grabbed two slabs of bacon and ate them. I tried to savor the spicy flavor of the bacon as much as I could. After all, tomorrow would be my last day eating the amazing Capitol food. I stabbed the eggs with a fork and shoved them in my mouth. They didn't have much taste, so I sprinkled some salt on them. My family has one jar of salt. Salt is very expensive back at home, so we have one big jar full of it and we only use it if necessary. I've never been allowed to take more than a pinch. Now, I could pour on as much as I wanted. I took the slat and poured it all over the eggs,

"What are you doing?" Blight asked politely,

"Putting salt on my eggs" I answered,

"You don't need that much"

"Don't care"

I quickly finished off the eggs and they day flew by. I spent most of it sitting in front of the TV looking at the odds. The careers all have high odds like 3:1 and 4:1 and 2:1. Oliver has a 5:1 chance and so do I. Caesar was talking about the odds and the tributes,

"District Seven has some promising tributes" he said, "but they'll have to match up to the the Careers"

"Shut up Caesar" I grumbled as I turned off the channel,

On the screen appeared, yet another talk show with Caesar. Does every channel have Caesar on it? He was talking with Snow,

"So President Snow, what do you think of this year's tributes?" Caesar asked,

"As always, I think they are very promising. I can already see a victor in one of them" Snow answered,

"Can you tell us?" Caesar asked,

"I think Caecilia and Oliver have the highest odds of winning" Snow answered,

"Snow's got good taste"

I turned around to see Oliver with a smirk on his face. I immediately turned off the TV and turned over at Oliver,

"What?" he asked, "got a jealousy problem?"

I didn't respond. Instead I got up and walked back over to my room. Today was sort of a day of rest. You aren't allowed to leave your room though. I've been stuck here, waiting for me to be taken to the interview. I remember watching the interviews every year. The girls are all dressed up in pretty dresses that represent their districts. I remember Johanna's dress. She looked amazing in a stunning tree gown. It was long and flowing, looking like a tree down to its roots. Myles is truly amazing when it comes to trees. He must've been to District Seven thousands of times to get the essence of our trees.

After hours and hours of waiting, I was escorted into a car with Johanna and Astra. Blight and Oliver were escorted into a separate car. We spent about ten minutes in the car, but all of them were filled with Astra talking and talking,

"It will be amazing!" she exclaimed, "you'll get to actually meet Caesar Flickerman!"

"It's not that big of a deal" Johanna whispered, "Caesar's just some Capitol crap"

"Make sure to be nice to Caesar"Astra said, "unlike some people"

She shot Johanna a look, and she shot one back. I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat. It was hard to be squished between Johanna and Astra, her puffy pink ringlets flying everywhere. Within minutes, I stepped out of the car and I was surrounded by cheers. It was just like the arrival, everyone was there. Myles came out of the building and took my hand,

"Let's go in" Myles said,

He pulled me out of the crowd and into the room. In a cloth bag was the dress I'd be wearing. I sat down in a chair while he quickly applied makeup to me. It was very similar to the kind of makeup I wore in the tribute parade. Lots of browns and greens and small branches coming from my eyes,

"Now close your eyes, I want the dress to be a surprise"

I closed my makeup-battered eyes as he slipped me into the dress. The fabric was very felty on the inside and felt nice as he slipped it on. The dress was long but not tight at all. It was loose and comfortable. Myles also slipped a long scarf around my neck and it draped over my arms,

"Open them now"

When I opened my eyes, I was wearing a loose-fitting dress. The top of the dress curved down and showed off my collar bone. The dress went down to my knees before splitting into three sections, allowing air to blow in between the sections. The dress was brown and represented bark. It looked amazing, and the three sections to represent roots. The scarf was green and it was so long that it draped to the floor. It was wrapped around my chest and neck and it fell along my arm,

"What do you think?" he asked,

"I...I love it" I stammered,

He also wrapped a vine around my arm and gave me a vine necklace as well. None of them were real though. He slipped a pair of brown sandals on my feet and then left me to look at myself in the mirror. I looked amazing. He then slipped a laurel crown on my head that had a familiar feeling,

"Is this the same one from the tribute parade?" I asked,

"Yep" he answered,

He grabbed the rubber band holding my hair together in a ponytail and pulled it out. My hair flew naturally over my shoulders, the green streak sticking out in my black hair,

"I don't think we'll do anything to that" he said,

Myles led me out of the room and into an elevator that would lead us into the green room. This elevator wasn't glass and wasn't as horrifying. I didn't feel like I'd fall to my death.

Once we got out of the elevator, Myles left me,

"Do your best out there" Myles said, "I'll be watching"

I walked over to Johanna who was standing in the hallway with Blight. Johanna walked up to me and examined me up and down,

"God, you look amazing for a tree" Johanna marveled,

"Thank you!" I exclaimed,

"Now everyone's going to go for some angle to get sponsors" Johanna began, "usually districts go with the same strategy, one goes for a more sarcastic and sexy, two tries to be intimidating, three tries to be smart, and so on and so forth"

"What did you do last year?" I asked,

"I tried to go for a shy and weak angle, just to fool the others" she answered, but I suggest you just try and be yourself. Try and make them like you"

"Got it" I answered, "be likeable"

"Everyone, get in a line, the show's about to start!"

Johanna walked away and wished me luck. We got in a line, starting with Velvet and ending with Bryce. I was in line behind Porter, Oliver was behind me. I could feel him breathing on my neck, but not in a nervous way. Like he was leaning over to freak me out,

"Can you stop?" I asked,

Oliver leaned back against the wall. And Porter was tense in front of me. I looked on the wall and the screen filled up with Caesar. Every year he has a new hair and eye color. This year, it was a hideous shade of maroon. Everything down to his eyes were the ugly shade. He stood up and everyone clapped. He made a small introduction and Velvet came on. I found it ironic that her stylist dressed her in a long, velvet dress. She was very sexy and sarcastic. Making sweet comments and making Caesar laugh. Vulture came out next in a red suit with a Vulture on it. The tributes went by, both Julius and Vulture were very tough-acting in their interviews. Caecilia was very sarcastic as well, but didn't show one drop of sweetness. The tributes from three were very smart, using words I've never heard. Karlee was funny and tried to be entertaining. It worked, she got Caesar and the crowd into her. Maya and Porter passed, and then a man in a black suit came and guided me onto the stage. I felt a huge knot in my stomach and I felt like I was going to vomit all over Caesar's ugly hair,

"This young girl from District Seven got one of the highest scores" Caesar introduced, "Alex Vice!"

I walked out onto the stage and looked out at the audience. There were people everywhere, and in the crowd I was able to spot Myles. I looked down at the white, plush, luxury chairs and sat. Caesar smiled at me, flashing a toothy white grin,

"So Alex, what do you do back home?" he asked,

"I'm a lumberjack" I answered, "I cut down trees for six bucks per tree"

"How can someone as beautiful as you work as a lumberjack under the beating sun all day?" he asked,

I blushed, "thanks Caesar"

"Anyways, you volunteered for your sister at the reaping, correct?" he asked, "can you tell us why?"

"My sister, Eve, is too sweet. She'd die out there, I'm doing this to keep her alive. After all, my family needs her more than me" I answered,

"That's very sweet" Caesar replied, "now let's talk about that training score. An eleven, huh? How did you get that"

"I don't think I'm supposed to tell" I answered,

"Can you just tell me a bit?" Caesar asked, "I'm dying to know"

"I worked my skills with the axe" I answered, "I guess I did a really good job"

"An extremely good job" Caesar replied,

"Thanks" I replied,

"So what's your strategy in the games?" he asked,

"To survive. Isn't that what we're all here for?" I asked,

Caesar opened his mouth to answer, but the buzzer interrupted. Signaling the end to our three minutes,

"That is my dear" he answered, "now let's give a round of applause to Alex Vice!"

Caesar grabbed my hand and lifted it in the air like I just won a boxing match. I then was guided off the stage and replaced with Oliver. He did a good job covering up for himself. There were some moments where he forgot what he was saying, but he quickly came back.

I was guided back to the Training Center by Astra. When I arrived back there I quickly changed out of the clothes and into the comfy, silky pajamas. I watched a replay of the interviews on TV. I didn't stand out as much. I just looked like any other tribute. Raven did a good job at her interview. She got lots of questions about the games, and she answered them well. She didn't give away too much of our strategy, but she gave away just enough to entertain them. It was hard to think tomorrow would be the start of the games. I've spent about a week in the Capitol now, and I'm starting to get a little homesick. I will always miss the food at home. I'll always miss working under the beating sun, cutting down trees. I miss my family especially, Eve's sweetness and Parker's jokes. I missed home, and the smell of the pine trees.

I walked into the my room and sat down on the bed. Johanna walked in and sat down next to me,

"Hey Alex, I wanna give you some more advice" Johanna said, "first off, if you see any water, test to see if its poisonous. Put a leaf or stick in it and see what happens. If it dissolves or burns, don't drink it"

"What else?" I asked,

"Don't eat any weird berries you've never seen, they could be poisonous" she answered, "the arena is going to try and kill you as much as the others are"

"Got it" I answered, "anything else"

"Stick to the back of the arena and stay there" she answered, "no one will find you there"

"Ok, can I go to sleep?" I asked,

"Yeah" she answered, "get a good rest"

I slipped under the comfy covers for the last time before I went into the games. I closed my eyes, and then fell asleep.

"Alex, get up"

Johanna was shaking me. I sat up in my bed to see Johanna. Her short black hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing a russet brown shirt and a leather jacket,

"Alex, you should get up. You need to eat a lot for the games" Johanna said,

I sat up and pushed myself out of bed. Johanna walked out and I quickly changed into a blue t-shirt and black leggings. I walked out of my room and sat down at the table. The table was filled with food, like it was a banquet. Oliver was across from me and his plate was filled with food. The table was filled with waffles and had a bottle of syrup. There also was a plate full of bacon. I served myself everything on the table, I grabbed three strips of bacon and three waffles. I spread the syrup around the waffle and began to eat,

"Wow Alex, that's a lot of food" Astra said, "are you sure you'll be ok?"

"The more I eat, the longer I can go without food" I answered,

I quickly ate everything, savoring the sweet flavor of the syrup. This would be the last amazing meal I eat until I win. An avox served me a bowl of strawberries and I kept eating. I stuffed all of them down my throat, they tasted sweet and delicious. Lastly, I was given some orange juice to finish it off. That was the last of the food. In the games, the food would be stale and scarce.

"You guys need to be up on the roof in twenty minutes" Astra says, "I think its time to say goodbye"

We all walked up and Astra and gave her a hug. I smelled her flowery Capitol perfume, it smelled amazing. I backed away and Oliver gave her a hug,

"Goodbye" she said with a little tear, "best of luck to you"

We were led to the elevators by Johanna and Blight who would accompany us to the roof. We got in separate elevators. Blight and Oliver got in one on the left, Johanna and I went to the right. The doors closed on us and we began to move up,

"Some last-minute advice" she began, "there's probably going to be an axe in the Cornucopia. Go for it, you'll need it to survive"

"Got it" I answered,

"Stay away from other tributes, don't let any of them get to you. Don't eat or pick up anything suspicious, that's how you'll get killed"

"Ok" I answered, "I think I'll be able to survive"

The elevator door opened and in front of me was a huge helicopter. I turned around to Johanna and hugged her,

"Good luck" Johanna mumbled, "do your best"

I walked out over to the helicopter. I was led into it by a Peacekeeper and sat down in an uncomfy chair across from the other female tributes. I was next to Mia and next to Mia was Karlee. I looked at Karlee and smiled at her, she smiled back. The plane then took off and began to fly to the catacombs.

We sat in the helicopter for a while. We sat there for about thirty minutes before the plane finally landed in the catacombs. A woman walked on the helicopter with a horrifying drill. She walked over to each person and drilled it into each tribute's arm. Mia winced in pain as it went into her arm. Then she walked over to me and grabbed my arm, I pulled it away,

"It's only a tracker" she assured, "it won't hurt a bit"

I took a deep breath and held my arm out, she drilled it into my arm and I bit my tongue to keep myself from screaming. It hurt a lot, but she pulled it out and it was all over. I was then allowed to leave the helicopter and was guided over to my catacomb. A peacekeeper led me to a room and I walked in. There were two white chairs and Myles sat down in one,

"Hello Alex" he said, "let's get you dressed in the arena outfit"

Off the rack that hung on the other side of the room, he pulled off a bag. He put it out on the ground. The outfit was made of black cargo pants, rubber boots, a russet-brown t-shirt, and a waterproof black jacket with a russet brown stripe down the back. I took off my clothes and put it on, it was very comfortable,

"There's lots of waterproof aspects" he said, "so expect lots of water"

"Got it" I replied,

"Oh, and I need to give this to you"

He handed me the small chunk of smooth wood that Cole gave me. I took it from him and hugged it to my chest. I pressed my nose into it, it still smelled like home. I shoved it in one of my pants pockets and I hugged Myles,

"Thanks for everything" I thanked,

"No problem" he replied, "show that green streak with pride"

He brushed his hand over my streak, and then someone said,

"Thirty seconds to launch"

I looked at Myles fr what could be the last time, "good luck"

He pointed over to the launch tube. I walked over into it and the front of it closed on me, I was stuck in here and there was no way out,

"Ten seconds"

And after ten seconds, I held my breath as the tube moved up. The blood rushed through my body, I couldn't tell if I was nervous, scared, or horrified. When I emerged into the arena, twenty-three other tributes were in a circle around me. Karlee wasn't far away, but Raven was on the other side. The boy from three and the girl from eight were next to me,

"Sixty seconds"

I looked around the Cornucopia and my eyes were caught by a shiny axe. It glittered in the sun, but it was really far away. The closest thing to me was a belt of throwing knives and a backpack. What would I do? If I ran fast enough I might just be able to get both,

"Ten, nine, eight"

I looked around at the arena, a swamp. The Cornucopia was all murky and filled with shallow water and lily pads. The trees were all kinds you'd find in a swamp, and the air was murky and dark. I looked over to the Cornucopia where a giant five was hovering above it. I took a deep breath and prepared for the bloodbath

Three

Two

One

And that's when the first cannon went off.

* * *

**Hello! I have some very important news. I know you guys will hate me for the cliffhanger and you will hate me more for this. I am going on a bit of a hiatus. I will not be posting chapter 12 for about another week. Once I do though, I'll be back posting chapters every day. I hope you're enjoying it so far. Let the games begin!**


	12. Chapter 12-Day 1

**I'm back! I'm back! Just like Lord Voldemont. Whoops! Sorry, he who shall not be named. Anyways, I'll be posting almost every day now. The Hunger Games have begun! Who do you think will win? What do you think will happen? Let me know. I'll be posting the results below.**

* * *

Everyone ran to the cornucopia at once. I didn't have time to see who was killed, I just ran. Some people ran out towards the swamp. I darted towards the backpack and throwing knives, but someone was too. Porter was next to me, darting towards backpack and knives. Brenton was running towards my axe, but I couldn't worry about him now. I pushed up my speed because Porter was getting ahead of me. I was able to reach the backpack before him and he darted for the knives. I picked up backpack and hit Porter on the head and he fell to the ground. He was still alive though and he dropped the knives. I grabbed a knife and I stabbed him in the back. I grabbed the rest of the throwing knives and the backpack and looked around for Brenton. He was still here. I grabbed a knife from the belt and threw it at him, but I missed. He ran off with my axe,

_I'll get him later, _I thought.

I looked around the outskirts for Raven and Kalia, but they were nowhere in sight. I felt a sharp pain in the back of my leg and I screamed. I looked behind me, Caecilia had thrown a knife at my leg. It bled and bled but I began to run. There's no point in looking for Kalia and Raven now. I ran as fast as I could away from the Cornucopia. My leg hurt really bad, but if I stayed for another minute, they'd kill me. I saw a climbable cypress tree and I climbed it. My leg hurt really bad, but I pushed back the pain. When I was in the tree I grabbed the knife. I screamed in pain as I gently pulled it out. I looked at my leg, there was a large bloody gash where the knife was. I opened my backpack, hoping there'd be some kind of bandages in it. Inside, there was a small canister full of rice and a bag of bread. There was a metal cylinder with something sticking out of the top. I opened it to find the space hollow, a water bottle. Inside was also a knife. Lastly, I found a roll of bandages. I cheered in my mind as I wrapped them around my foot. I heard the cannons go off and I began to count them on my fingers. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven people dead, only 17 people left. Not a lot of people died in the bloodbath, I'm surprised. I climbed down from the tree and I heard footsteps. I kept my ground on the wet earth. Something bumped into my back.

I turned around to see a small girl with dark skin and black hair rolling down her shoulders. Part of her hair were tucked behind her ears. She's the cute girl from eleven,

"Ahhh!" she screamed, "please don't kill me!"

I covered her mouth with my hand to quiet her down,

"Quiet down," I whispered, "you're going to get us both caught."

"Sorry." she whispered,

"Alex." I introduced, "district 7."

"Mae." she replied, "district 11"

I noticed she had a small backpack on her shoulders, "what's in that backpack?"

"Sleeping bag and food" she answered,

"Do you know where the other tributes are?" I asked,

"Who are you looking for?" she asked,

"Karlee and Raven." I answered,

"They're down that way." she answered as she pointed to the left,

"Thanks." I replied, "I'll spare you if you give me that bag."

She nodded and slid the backpack off her shoulders and handed it to me. I slid it onto my other shoulder,

"Thanks." Mae said.

"No problem." I replied, "now run before I change my mind."

Mae ran off without her backpack as fast as she could and I went towards the direction she pointed in. I began to run as fast as I could just so I could get to them. They have absolutely nothing, so if they get caught they're as good as dead. I heard a loud scream and a cannon. The scream came from the direction I was going in, what if it was Karlee, or Raven? I began to run as fast as I could towards the scream. I heard another scream in the same direction, but it was deeper and more manly. A canon wasn't heard this time. I began to dart faster and grunts and footstep could be heard. I saw who was fighting through a bunch of trees, a girl with black hair, a tall boy with shaggy brown hair, and a boy with a short blonde ponytail. I grabbed a knife and threw it towards the boy with blonde hair and it hit his shoulder. He screamed with pain and the girl hit him over the head with a club. He fell to the ground and their heads turned to me,

"Alex!" the girl exclaimed,

I realized she was Raven. I ran towards them and grabbed another knife. I threw it at the blonde boy and this time it made its way into his back. He screamed and a cannon boomed. The other boy ran towards me and I threw another knife at him. It hit his hand and he screamed and ran off, leaving Raven and I together. She dropped her club and I hugged her,

"I'm so glad you're still alive." she said,

"You too." I replied, "but where's Karlee?"

She let go of me and her expression turned grim. She shook her head, "Karlee didn't make it."

She pointed to a small, lifeless body on the ground next to Brenton, who was the blonde boy. Her green eyes were lifeless and her fiery red hair was stained with blood. I sank down on my knees next to her and whispered in her dead ear,

"I'm sorry."

I stood up and handed Raven Mae's backpack and the throwing knives,

"Thanks." she said, "Brenton has an axe, get it before he's gone!"

I ran over to Brenton and grabbed his hand that still held my axe. I released his fingers from it but they wouldn't move. I bandged his hand with a rock until his lifeless fingers fell off. I screamed as his fingers fell off and jumped away. Blood erupted from his fingers and stained the axe red but I grabbed it before it got any more bloody. I held the axe and it was very heavy, heavier than the axe at the training center. I lifted the weight,

"It's getting dark, we should probably find some shelter." said Nicole,

"Yeah." I answered,

The sky began to darken and we walked over to a nearby tree. I pulled the sleeping bag out of the backpack, but Raven had nothing,

"How about we take shifts, one of us takes the lookout while the other sleeps." suggested Raven,

"Okay." I answered, "I'll take the first shift."

Raven took some rope and used it to keep the sleeping bag in the tree. The national anthem rang through the arena and the face of the dead could be seen through the trees. The first person was Karlee, who was then followed by Brenton. Next was Porter, who made me begin to cry. It's only the first day and I've killed two people, and it will haunt me forever. Oliver's face didn't show up next, and the next faces where the girl from eight, next was the girl and boy from nine, next were both the girl and boy from ten, and then it turned off,

"So that leaves the careers, Oliver, Mia, Ed, the boy from 11, and the boy from 12." I mumbled to myself,

I sat there for a little while before waking up Raven. I slipped in the sleeping bag, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

**Tribute Status**

**Survivors in bold**

**District 1**

**Velvet**

**Vulture**

**District 2**

**Caecilia**

**Julius**

**District 3**

**Eliza**

**Cogg**

**District 4**

**Marina**

**Luke**

**District 5**

Karlie, was stabbed by Ed's spear

Brenton, was killed by one of Alex's throwing knives

**District 6**

**Mia**

Porter, was stabbed by Alex

**District 7**

**Alex**

**Oliver**

**District 8**

Aaliyah, unknown death

**Ed**

**District 9**

Krysten, unknown death

Asher, unknown death

**District 10**

Candice, Unknown death

Landon, unknown death

**District 11**

**Mae **

**Otto**

**District 12**

**Raven Bryce**


	13. Chapter 13-Day 2

**I'm giving you the opportunity to be a gamemaker! Review and PM with with what you want to be in the games, maybe some muttations or poisonous berries. Tell me your ideas and I'll make sure to include them.**

* * *

I woke up to a canon and screaming. I looked over at Raven and she looked at me. We both sighed with relief,

"Oh thank God I thought that was you!" said Raven,

"Who do you think that was?" I asked,

Raven shrugged, "I dunno."

I rolled up the sleeping bag and shoved it in my backpack. I jumped down from the tree and I landed next to Raven. We began to walk forward,

"So do we have a goal for today?" I asked,

"Maybe we can find out what's going on with the other tributes." she answered, "I'm sure the careers are hogging the Cornucopia."

"Which way do you think it is?" I asked,

She pointed forward, "that way."

We began to walk forward towards the Cornucopia. Maybe we can get some stuff from the tributes. Then, I heard something ticking. I ignored it and kept walking. I usually hear things. Behind us, a cannon erupted. But it wasn't a canon, it as an explosion.

"Land mines, run!"

Six more mines erupted behind us. My ear cartilage ripped as more explosions erupted behind us. We ran as fast as we could and a tunnel could be seen ahead,

"Go for that cave!" I shouted,

Raven and I ran even faster for the cave. Raven fell behind me and got caught in an explosion. She went flying before she hit the hard bottom of the cave. I dove headfirst into the cave and it scraped my arm. I covered my head with my arms as the final mines exploded. I looked down at Raven, she was bleeding a lot. Her left leg was ripped open and her arm was ripped down the side. Her head was covered in scars and she was missing an ear,

"Raven, are you still alive?" I asked,

"Yeah." she croaked,

I ran outside the cave and cupped my hands around my mouth to amplify my shouts,

"Hey Johanna, maybe some medicine?" I shouted.

A silver parachute dropped down from the sky and landed in front of me. I smiled and picked it up and opened it up. Inside was a couple pills and some weird cream. There was a note that read, take these pills and spread it over your wounds, Haymitch. It wasn't even from Johanna. I ran in the cave and handed the medicine to Raven,

"Who's Haymitch?" I asked,

"My mentor." she answered

I helped her apply the cream to her missing ear and her legs and arms as she chewed the pills. Then, I heard footsteps. This time I'm not doubting it. I walked outside the cave to see three of the careers coming towards us, Julius, Caecilia, and Velvet. I dove back in the cave,

"Careers." I whispered, "quick, get behind those vines."

We dove behind the vines in the back of the cave to hide us, The Careers stood outside the cave, I could see their boots,

"I heard a shout from this direction." said Velvet, "I'm sure of it."

"Maybe they left." replied Julius,

"Let's look around, maybe they're still here." said Caecilia,

They began to look up and around the cave. I hoped no one would find us inside the cave. Velvet then went inside the cave. I fumbled around for my axe, but I couldn't find it.

_Shoot! _I thought, _I left it out in the open._

Velvet picked up my axe and smiled, "hey guys, Brenton must be somewhere here. He left his axe out in the open."

"No, Brenton's dead. It must be-" Julius began,

"Alex." they all said in unison,

I grabbed a throwing knife from Raven's belt and gripped it hard. Through the vines, I aimed the knife at Velvet. I pulled my arm back and released the knife. It hit missed and hit Velvet's shoulder. She screamed and dropped the axe, holding her shoulder. I ran from out of the vines and grabbed the axe, hitting Velvet in the chest. She screamed and fell to the ground, a cannon went off. Caecilia and Julius turned to me and ran inside the cave. Caecilia threw her dagger at me and it found its place in the wall. I removed the dagger and slashed it along Caecilia's arm. She screamed and fell to the ground. Julius grabbed Caecilia and helped her out of the cave,

"Just this time 7." he grunted, "we'll let you live."

But I won't let them live. Caecilia was able to get away with her quick reflexes but I tackled Julius. I pinned him down to the ground and he struggled. I held his limbs down tight and pulled him up on his feet. He opened his mouth to scream for help but I covered it and all that came out was muffled sounds. I pinned his hands behind his back,

"Try and scream for help and you're a dead man." I whispered into his ear, 'now what's in that backpack?"

We both looked down at his backpack and I gently removed my hand from his mouth,

"Food and medicine." he answered, "please don't kill me!"

"I may not if you give me that backpack."

"That's most of our supplies, I can't do that!" he answered,

"Then I'll just make this easy for us." I replied, I grabbed my axe and held it to his throat, "give me that backpack."

"Okay." he answered, throwing his hands up in the air as he slipped it off.

I zipped open the backpack to find some weird plants on the inside,

"What are these?" I asked,

Then, the plants curled open and spilled out a purple fog. I coughed and covered my mouth with my shirt. So did Raven and Julius smirked,

"What is that?" I screamed,

"Some weird poisonous pmat we found in the swamp." he answered,

I accidentally breathed in a bit of the fog and I felt my throat begin to burn from the inside. I screamed in pain and lunged for Julius. I clasped my hands around his neck and pulled it back. A sickening crack and scream came from Julius before he fell to the ground and a cannon went off. I looked in the back corner to see Raven lying unconscious. I grabbed her and slung her over my shoulders and ran out of the cave. My throat hurt and burned and when I screamed in pain almost no sound came out. I ran as far as I could and darted through the swamp. Pushing away vines and trees with my axe in hand. When I looked back the fog was now so far away and we were safe. I collapsed in the murky and shallow swamp water and splashed it all over Raven's face. Her eyes opened,

"Wha-what happened?" she asked,

"Julius…" I trailed off, it hurt to speak and even when I talked it was almost silent,

"Here, write it in the dirt." suggested Raven,

We walked out of the water and over by some wet dirt. I used the end of the handle of my axe to write it out,

"Julius and the careers found some poisonous plant that burns your insides if you breath the toxins in." I wrote,

"That sounds like a muttation plant called Venusac and it spews poison gas that burns." replied Raven, "there's a certain kind of medicine called Ibutoxin B that you drink to heal it. But its really expensive."

"Maybe we can get it from a sponsor." I wrote,

"Maybe." she replied,

We got up and kept walking. As we walked, we listed off the tributes,

"So there's still Vulture, Caecilia, Marina, Luke, district 6 girl, you and Oliver, Ed, that 11 girl, and Bryce from what I know. Oh, and Eliza and Cogg"

I leaned down and wrote in the mud, "It's getting dark, let's settle down for the night."

We found a large tree with vines and I opened my backpack. The rope was burnt so we used the vines to strap ourselves in the tree. We drank some of the swamp water and ate some rice together. The rice was dry and cold but it was food and food is good. The faces lit up in the sky as the anthem played. First was Velvet, and I still feel bad for killing her. Then it was Julius, whose blood still stained my hands. And lastly it was Mae, whose adorable smiling face was probably the scream we heard this morning. Then it faded out,

"So in all, there's only 15 left." said Raven, "and only 14 left to kill."

"When it gets to the top 6 we should split." I wrote, "just so we don't have to kill each other."

"Mmkay." she replied, "g'night."

I climbed the tree and slipped into the sleeping bag. Hopefully someone will send me that Ibutoxin B stuff so I can talk. I closed my eyes, looked up at the fake stars, and then fell asleep.

* * *

**Tribute Status**

**Survivors in bold**

**District 1**

Velvet, killed by Alex's axe

**Vulture**

**District 2**

**Caecilia**

Julius, neck snapped by Alex

**District 3**

**Eliza**

**Cogg**

**District 4**

**Marina**

**Luke**

**District 5**

Karlie, was stabbed by Ed's spear

Brenton, was killed by one of Alex's throwing knives

**District 6**

**Mia**

Porter, was stabbed by Alex

**District 7**

**Alex**

**Oliver**

**District 8**

Aaliyah, unknown death

**Ed**

**District 9**

Krysten, unknown death

Asher, unknown death

**District 10**

Candice, Unknown death

Landon, unknown death

**District 11**

Mae, unknown death

**Otto**

**District 12**

**Raven **

**Bryce**


	14. Chapter 14-Day 3

**oh my gawd it's been like a week since I've updated. Sorry, it's just that I've been so tied up with things lately, finishing up school, finding an agent for my book, and especially sleeping. I don't know why but every time I try to type I fall asleep. But today I was finally able to stay awake and I got this done! Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go take another nap.**

* * *

"Raven!"

I opened my eyes and looked down to see a small, skinny boy. His brown hair was long and almost fell to his shoulders. I shook Raven to wake her up,

"Raven, I think someone wants to see you." I said as I shook her to wake her up,

She opened her eyes and looked down at the boy, "Bryce, what are you doing here?"

"Please Raven, I'm starving and I haven't drunk any fresh water for days. Please, let me join your alliance." he begged,

"Fine." replied Raven as she dug through her bag. She grabbed our rice and tossed it to him, "catch!"

She tossed him the bowl of rice and he caught it. He screwed open the top and dove into it like a rat. He handed us back the canister and it was empty,

"Bryce!" shouted Raven, "that was all of our food!"

"Sorry." he grumbled,

"Great, where are we going to get more food?" asked Raven,

"Either we hunt for it, find it, or get it from sponsor or careers." I answered,

"Hey your voice is better!" exclaimed Raven,

"Hmm, oh yeah, it's still kind of scratchy." I replied,

I heard chiming as a small silver box flew down from the sky,

"Sponsors!" exclaimed Raven, "I'll get it!"

The box's parachute got caught in the trees and Raven climbed up to get it. She opened the box and frowned,

"It's for you." she said,

She gently tossed me the box and I picked it up. Inside was a note: Here's that Ibutoxin B Raven was talking about. Drink a bit daily, Johanna.

"It's Ibutoxin B!" I exclaimed,

I looked at the measurements and I only drank a little. My throat felt a little better and the medicine quickly worked. I smiled as I jumped down from the tree and landed in the mud. Must've rained last night. Bryce walked next to us,

"So Bryce, do you know where everyone is?" I asked,

"The careers are at the Cornucopia, Eliza and Cogg and hiding out together, and the others are all scattered." he answered,

"My suggestion is we eliminate weaker targets before they get strong." said Raven, "so today we should hunt down Eliza and Cogg. Where did you say they were again?"

"They're hiding in a cave on the other side of the arena." answered Bryce, "I wonder what they're doing in that cave. Maybe-"

"SHUT UP BRYCE!" shouted Raven, "you're so immature!"

We kept walking forward through the swamp. We walked towards the cornucopia which wasn't very far,

"Why are we going through here again?" I asked,

"The arena is built around the cornucopia, so we can either go the short way or the long way." answered Raven, "we just have to run from the Careers."

We now hid in the bushes outside the cornucopia. I could see the careers sitting next to a huge pile full of supplies and food. They all stood up,

"So who are we hunting for today?" asked Marina,

"The weaklings, that traitor Luke and Bryce." answered Vulture, "let's go before they get away."

I looked over at Bryce and he had a terrified expression on his face,

"It's okay Bryce, we'll keep you safe." assured Raven,

They all left the supplies and walked right out of the cornucopia. Once they were gone, we ran in. We ran as fast as we could straight through the cornucopia. I looked at the huge pile of food that the careers had, and back at our backpacks. Our backpacks contained almost no food. Then I looked back at the huge pile, taunting for me to take it. I stopped running for a second,

"Alex, are you okay?" asked Raven,

"Yeah, just go without me, I'll catch up with you." I answered,

"Okay, we won't go too far." promised Bryce,

The others ran off while I walked over to the pile. A cannon boomed and I knew it was the boy from 11. I jumped over ropes and tripwires that could possibly be traps. I avoided all of them and I found myself face-to-face with the gigantic stack of food and supplies. At the bottom of the pile, I saw ropes and tents. I grabbed fold-up tent and shoved it in my backpack. I also grabbed another sleeping bag and more rope. The food was at the top of the pile. I sighed and climbed up the pile. I grabbed something in the pile and used it to pull myself up. I opened my backpack and began to stuff food into it. Apples, rice, bread, everything I could see until my backpack was full. I smiled, we'd be good on food for weeks now. Then, a huge trident whizzed past the side of my head, barely missing it. I looked ahead of me to see Luke. How could Luke throw a trident that well? I thought he was weak, and the careers would only keep him for a while before they killed him off. Then it hit me, Johanna,

"Step away from the pile." he ordered,

I gently climbed down from the pile, following Luke's orders. Maybe give the kid a break to find out if he's really acting like Johanna. I looked at him and grabbed my axe,

"What did you take?" he asked,

"Nothing much, just some crap you spoiled brats don't need. You have enough of it already." I answered,

"You know, we've been looking for you for a while now." he began, "and now that you're finally out, I can take the honor and pleasure of killing you."

I walked up to the cornucopia and pulled his trident out of the side and smiled, "Not without this can't."

He gritted his teeth and run up to me. His hands curled into a fist and they hit me right in the jaw. He then punched me a couple more times and blood erupted from my nose. I dropped the trident and grabbed my axe from my right hand and put it in my left,

"For a little boy, you throw a hard punch." I said, "how old are you?"

"Thirteen." he answered through grit teeth,

He swung the trident at me and I gracefully dodged the swings of the trident's sharp points. I swung my axe and he repeated my actions, swinging back and forth to dodge the axe from chopping him up like wood. Then, I realized it, he was another Johanna. When he swung the trident, I grabbed the pole to kep him from swinging it,

"You know, that strategy is pretty old." I said,

"What strategy?" he asked, trying to get his trident back,

"You know, the Johanna strategy." I answered,

He looked embarrassed for a second, his face turning red. But he then just smiled and said, "bout' time someone found out."

I let go of his trident and it fell to the ground, "maybe we can form an alliance ourselves."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes turning soft,

He has his guard down, time to strike. I shoved my axe into his stomach and he screamed in pain. He then fell to the ground as his pretty blue eyes faded away,

"No." I answered, pulling my axe out of his stomach,

A canon then boomed, signaling the death of Luke. So now, the only careers left are Marina and Caecilia. But we still have Eliza, Cogg, and Ed to deal with as well. I ran forward through the cornucopia in the direction that Raven and Bryce darted off in. Once I got to the swamp, I saw footsteps. Maybe they belonged to Raven or Bryce. I began to follow them and after ten minutes of walking, I saw two figures with black jackets. I knew they were Bryce and Raven. Raven turned around and threw her arms around me,

"Oh my god Alex, I thought that was you!" she cried, "don't scare me like that!"

"Shh." whispered Bryce, "they're in there, let's surprise them."

Raven lifted up the end of her shirt and grabbed a knife from her belt. She only had a couple left through. I could only count nine before her shirt fell back over the belt. She peered inside the cave, Cogg was trying to wake Eliza up. How late can these people sleep?

"C'mon Eliza, we have to find Alex today." whispered Cogg,

"How many people wanna kill me?" I asked Bryce,

"Everyone." he answered,

Raven gripped the knife in her hand and cranked her arm backwards. She thrusted her arm forward and released the knife. It barely missed Cogg and his eyes began to frantically dart around. Raven cursed under her breath and grabbed another knife. He reached for the spear on the ground that was next to him,

"Who's there?" he asked, "I won't let you kill Eliza. I'm armed."

Raven charged in the cave and swung the knife at Cogg. It scratched his shoulder and he screamed in pain, waking up Eliza. The second she saw Raven and Cogg bleeding, she screamed and grabbed a dagger that was on the ground. She stood up and swung it around blindly, screaming and cutting through air. I can't watch this. Bryce and I ran in the cave, what was Bryce equipped with. That's when he pulled something clear and sharp. Where did he get glass? He threw the glass at Cogg and it hit him right in the eye. Cogg screamed and held his eye and Raven took the opportunity to swing her knife. She completely missed and ended up hitting Eliza's arm. She screamed in pain and held her arm as it bled and bled. Eliza tried to swing at Raven but slashed my cheek. Pain erupted across my face and blood poured down the side. Cogg removed the piece of glass from his eye. I almost screamed when I saw his eye, it was all bloody and deformed. I swung my axe at Eliza and it hit her right in the chest. She screamed and then fell to the ground. A cannon boomed in response to her death. Cogg looked at me, disgusted. He swung his spear at me and I used my axe to block it. He swung a couple more times at me before giving up and swinging it at the off-guard Bryce. It hit him but had a different effect than normal. He screamed in pain as an electric jolt went through his body. He screamed in pain as he was shocked and burned like lightning. Raven looked just as shocked as he was, but in a different way. She swung a dagger at him and slit his throat. He fell to the ground and a cannon boomed as well. Now it's only Ed, Caecilia, Marina, Raven, Bryce, Mia, Vulture, and me. I know that Bryce may not survive from this. He looked horrible, he was bleeding and when he tried to move he just screamed in pain,

"Just do it Raven, just finish me off." he cried, "I'd rather not suffer."

Tears form in Raven's eyes. Did they have some sort of connection? Is there something I don't know about Raven. She grabbed her knife and held it to his chest. She raised her arm and thrusted it forward but then broke into tears,

"Stop stalling Raven, just do it."

Raven pushed back her tears and stabbed Bryce in the chest. He didn't scream or cry, he just smiled as the life faded away. Raven dropped her knife, stood up, and slowly walked out of the cave. A cannon boomed and I slowly saw a tear glide down Raven's face. Luke, Cogg, Bryce, and Eliza. Four more gone, only seven left.

* * *

**Whaddya think? It's almost over and I'm planning to write a victory tour chapter. You excited for the end. Who do you think the final battle will be between. My hint is that it'll be Alex and someone else. So, your option are:**

**A. Alex and Ed**

**B. Alex and Raven**

**C. Alex and Marina**

**D. Alex and Oliver**

**E. Alex and Caecilia**

**F. Alex and Mia**

**G. Alex and Vulture**

**PM and review me with your responses. The one with the most votes will be the one I use. Bye!**

* * *

**Tribute Status**

**Survivors in bold**

**District 1**

Velvet, killed by Alex's axe

**Vulture**

**District 2**

**Caecilia**

Julius, neck snapped by Alex

**District 3**

Eliza, killed by Alex's axe

Cogg, throat slit

**District 4**

**Marina**

Luke, killed by Alex's axe

**District 5**

Karlie, was stabbed by Ed's spear

Brenton, was killed by one of Alex's throwing knives

**District 6**

**Mia**

Porter, was stabbed by Alex

**District 7**

**Alex**

**Oliver**

**District 8**

Aaliyah, unknown death

**Ed**

**District 9**

Krysten, unknown death

Asher, unknown death

**District 10**

Candice, Unknown death

Landon, unknown death

**District 11**

Mae, unknown death

Otto, unknown death

**District 12**

**Raven**

Bryce, stabbed by Raven's knife


	15. Chapter 15-Day 8 (Time skip)

**I'm back! And no more hiatuses, I'm almost done with this! I hope you enjoy this chapter**

* * *

It's been five days since we last heard a canon. There are still only eight of us left. I'm sure the gamemakers are getting bored, and today they'll find a way to kill off most of us. Whether it's mutts or a flood, about half of us are going to die today. Raven and I have been sitting around, up in a tree, for days. Every day I wake up and fall asleep to her moaning and crying. She really had a connection to Bryce. I don't know what though. It's morning. The fake sun is high in the fake sky. I slid down from the tree, Raven had her face buried in my backpack. I grabbed my axe, which was lodged in our tree. I looked over at a nearby tree. I lifted my axe over my head and swung my axe at the tree. I swung it again, and again and again. It reminded me of home and calmed me down. I swung one more time and the tree fell. Raven pushed her head out of my backpack,

"What was that?" she asked,

"A tree." I answered,

She looked over at the fallen tree and back at me, "why?"

"It calms me down." I answered with a shrug,

"Chopping down trees, calms you down?" she asked,

"Reminds me of home." I answered, "and speaking of home.."

I dug into my pocket and grabbed my chunk of wood. I buried it in my nose and breathed in the fresh air of District Seven. I took my nose out and put it back in my pocket. Raven jumped down from the tree and landed on the muddy ground,

"We should probably go and get some water, we drank the last of it last night." said Raven,

"Mmkay, but let's do it quick before we get killed." I answered,

We ran through the swamp, looking for the nearest freshwater source. There's water everywhere here, but it's all muddy and contaminated. There are only a few freshwater streams located throughout the arena. We kept walking and walking for hours. Sweat ran down my face and we began to slow down,

"I'm thirsty." moaned Raven,

"Well if you want water we have to keep going." I replied,

And then, like an Oasis, a freshwater pond appeared out of nowhere. We cheered and ran towards it. I kneeled in the mud besides the pond and screwed the top off my water bottle. I dipped it in the water and pulled it out, it was now full of refreshing water. I took a small sip of it and screwed the top back on. Then Raven screamed,

"Something's got me!" she wailed, "my arm, something's pulling me down! Help me!"

I ran over to her and grabbed her waist. I began to pull against the force that was pulling her down. I pulled and pulled, but whatever was pulling her down pulled even harder. I grabbed my axe out of the mud and swung at the water. I kept swinging until I felt flesh. Raven didn't scream, so it must've been the thing. Raven sighed with relief,

"Thanks." she sighed,

But then, a slimy tentacle reached out of the water and grabbed her arm. This time it was so quick that I couldn't see a thing. It dragged her into the water and pulled her in,

"Help-" but her cries were muffled as she was pulled underwater,

"Raven!" I screamed,

Then, in the water I could see a large, scaly and slimy, creature. It looked like an Alligator, but it had tentacles for feet. This is it, this is what the gamemakers sent to kill us all. I saw Raven in the water. The muttation held all four of her arms and feet with its slimy tentacles. I wanted to kill it, I wanted to help, but my axe would do nothing underwater. I couldn't do anything to save Raven. Her eyes were filled with fear as the creature opened its mouth. It pulled Raven closer, and she struggled against it. Thrashing her arms and legs, trying to get free. She tried to swim up, she was running out of air. She could barely breath. The muttation pulled her closer in, leaning her head towards its mouth. She screamed, but her cries were muffled under water. He placed her head in her jaws. She screamed and thrashed even more, but her attempts were even more useless. I closed my eyes and turned away as it closed its mouth, snapping Raven's head off. The water was clouded with red, but when I opened my eyes there was nothing left of Raven, the mutt had eaten her. She was gone. A cannon boomed, signaling her death. The creature looked up, and it saw me,

"Oh crap." I said,

It rose out of the water. Its head was giant and green and scaly. It roared, and when it did its jaw opened to reveal rows upon rows of bloody, sharp, jagged teeth. It set its tentacles on land, and it was missing one where I cut it off. It seven tentacles, and it gave me a stare that said,

"You're next, Alex."

I ran and it began to chase after me. I ran as fast as I could, looking around for a tree or somewhere for me to take cover. There used to be tons of trees here, I guess the gamemakers took them away. Great, thanks a lot Seneca. This mutt is surprisingly fast for something on tentacles. I looked behind me to see it moving from side to side like a snake. Its jaws were open. It sped up and snapped its jaws, nearly missing my heel. I ran even faster to avoid being eaten. Then, I saw one tree, our tree. The tree Raven and I just spent to the last days with. I leaped for it and grabbed the lowest branch. I kept climbing, but the mutt jumped up, jaws open, and when it snapped them close, he had my heel in its mouth. I screamed in pain, so loud that all of the birds flew out of the clearing. I kept climbing though, I'd rather have that pain than being eaten. I eventually got to a height in which the creature couldn't reach. It jumped and tried to climb the tree but it failed. It jumped up and down the tree, trying to climb it for an hour before giving up. It slithered away and went for the next tribute, its next victim. I buried my face in my pillow and cried. Raven's gone, my only friend in the arena, the only person who didn't want to kill me, is gone. Now it's me against everyone. Now, even if they die, they still want to be known as the person who killed Alex Vice.

About an hour later, I heard another scream and cannon. Another person to be eaten by The Creature. I heard footsteps and panting. Someone was running, but I couldn't hear The Creature. Someone was in pursuit of somebody. Ed ran through the bushes, and behind him was, Oliver? Oliver, but he looked different. His blond hair covered in blood, his handsome face littered with scratches. His skin was covered in scars, scratches, and blood. He was missing a few fingers, and his sleeves were cut off. He pinned Ed against my tree,

"Where is she?" demanded Oliver,

"I swear, I don't know." answered Ed,

"You met her, she killed Brenton." sneered Oliver,

"That's the only time I saw her." replied Ed, "wait, how do you know that?"

"I've been following Alex, since she left her platform." answered Oliver, "I lost her when Julius pulled out a poisonous plant, I had to run to survive."

"So you were...stalking her?" asked Ed, "why didn't you kill her?"

"Because, when we get to the final battle, I want it to be me and her. I want to make sure she has a slow, painful death that she'll remember." answered Oliver, "now tell me or I will kill you. Where is she?"

"I don't know." answered Ed, "honestly."

"Lies!" shouted Oliver,

He grabbed his sickle and shoved it in Ed's chest. He turned it around and around, grinding his heart. The life faded from Ed's eyes. A cannon boomed. Oliver's eyes were crazed, and I son realized he was serious,

"Maybe the careers will know more." he mumbled,

He walked off, leaving Ed's dead body on the ground. When night rolled around, the anthem played and three faces popped up in the sky. Raven's, Mia's, and Ed's. Only Oliver, Marina, Vulture, and Caecilia are left. Only five of us. I strapped myself in the tree, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

**This chapter was so much fun to write! So would you rather be killed by crazy Oliver, or eaten by The Creature. What did you think of Raven's death? Only five more left, what do you think will happen?**

* * *

Tribute Status

Survivors in bold

District 1

Velvet, killed by Alex's axe

**Vulture**

District 2

**Caecilia**

Julius, neck snapped by Alex

District 3

Eliza, killed by Alex's axe

Cogg, throat slit

District 4

**Marina**

Luke, killed by Alex's axe

District 5

Karlie, was stabbed by Ed's spear

Brenton, was killed by one of Alex's throwing knives

District 6

Mia, eaten by The Creature

Porter, was stabbed by Alex

District 7

Alex

Oliver

District 8

Aaliyah, unknown death

Ed, stabbed by Oliver

District 9

Krysten, unknown death

Asher, unknown death

District 10

Candice, Unknown death

Landon, unknown death

District 11

Mae, unknown death

Otto, unknown death

District 12

Raven, eaten by The Creature

Bryce, stabbed by Raven's knife


	16. Chapter 16-Day 9

**This chapter is really cool! I hope you enjoy it. Oh and BTW, there is another gory death.**

* * *

Today, I woke up to no one. No one shaking or screaming at me. No canons, no nothing. Just my eyes opening to the day. I yawned and opened up my backpack. I grasped an apple that I stole from the careers and chomped down on it. I placed the apple between my teeth and bit down on it. I put it in my teeth again, but then I imagined Raven and the creature. I screamed, throwing the apple on the ground,

"Oww!" somebody screamed, "who threw that?"

I looked down to see Maria and the careers. The apple had hit her in the head,

"Not me." answered Caecilia, groggily, "Vulture?"

"Not me." he answered,

_Oh shoot, _I thought.

I quickly climbed higher up the tree and into the leaves. I was concealed in the leaves of the tree. The branch was uncomfortable, but I'd rather be uncomfy than dead,

"Maybe, from up there!" shouted Maria,

She pointed, but they saw no one. I was concealed by the leaves,

"Then if no one threw it, it must be raining apples!" exclaimed Maria, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, APPLE RAIN! APPLE RAIN! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE WITH APPLE RAIN!"

"Maria, can you be any more dumb?" asked Vulture, obviously Alex is up there, see in the leaves?"

I grabbed my axe out of the tree and my backpack. They've discovered me, but all of them are still half asleep and don't have their weapons. I'll get a head start. I began to jump from tree to tree, but I stopped when I heard them talking,

"Should we go after her?" asked Maria,

"That's Oliver's battle. Leave her be." answered Vulture,

Maria looked at them and back at me, "well, I'm going to kill her if none of you numbskulls mind."

"Mmkay." replied Caecilia, "have fun."

Marina grabbed her spear and began to chase after me. I began running two, swiveling between branches. Jumping from tree to tree. I also had to dodge branches above me. Marina stopped when she got to water. I stopped too,

"What's wrong?" I teased, "scared of a little water?"

"I don't know how to swim." she answered,

I looked down at the water, and then at Marina. I burst into laughter, "You're from district freaking four! How do you _not _know how to swim?"

Marina pushed off the insult and looked back up at me,

"Come down and fight me like a man!" she shouted,

"Alright."

I began to descend down from the tree. Putting my feet on branches. Every time I stepped with my bad foot, I winced in pain. From the final branch, I jumped down, my bad foot landing in the water and my good one on land. Marina just stood there and smiled,

"What are you smiling about?" I asked,

"You'll see."

Then, I felt a searing pain in my bad foot. I looked at the bubbling water, I should've known better, acid. My foot began to burn off, and the pain was unbearable. I screamed in pain, and Marina just smiled. I took my foot out of the water to see it was almost completely burnt off. There was only a bit of flesh left where the ball of my foot was. Marina swung the trident at me, but I parried with my axe. Before I could remove my axe from her trident, she pushed me back. The acid was right behind me, and she kept pushing me into it. I pushed back, but she was stronger. I began to fall backwards into the acid, but as I was I grabbed her arm and flung her in before I even hit it. She landed on her side, and she screamed in pain as her face began to be seared off. I quickly stepped backwards with my bad foot to keep my balance and pulled it out before it got seared. Marina pushed herself out of the acid. And when she did, she had half of her face seared off. Her once, pretty face now looked terrifying. Her pretty face remained on one side, but on the other was gone. Her face was melted and burnt. She looked ugly. Marina screamed in frustration, dropped her trident, curled her good hand into a fist. And she curled her hand into a fist, and threw a punch at me. It hit my face and threw me into the acid. I landed in almost the same position as she did. My face began to get seared off as well, but I still had no beauty either way,

"See how it feels, feels to burn. This is how it feels to lose your beauty!" she shouted, "your youth!"

Marina turned to a camera that was hidden in a tree,

"This little one goes out to Alex's friends and family. Look at her, a murderer. She's killed about five of us now, and now, watch as I kill her. Watch as your friend dies under my foot!"

She grabbed her Trident as I pushed myself out of the acid. I couldn't see it, but my face probably matched hers. I was on the ground, helpless as I cried in pain. I tried to stand, but it hurt. She raised the trident over my head, my axe helplessly under my hand. I just closed my eyes, and waited to be killed. This is it, there's nothing I can do.

She swung the trident down, but nothing happened as it should've hit my head. Marina screamed. I looked behind her to see Oliver with his sickle in her back. He kicked her forward, removing the sickle. She fell in the acid, Oliver but his foot on her, keeping her from standing up. The acid began to eat her, and soon there was nothing left of her. A cannon boomed, marking her death. Oliver extended his hand to mine,

"I'm not taking your stupid hand." I said,

He dropped his sickle, "now?"

I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up, "why'd you do that?"

"Because, no one kills you but me." he answered,

"Then why don't you just kill me now?" I answered,

"It would be a shame to do it so early. I want it to be just you and me." he answered, "just don't let any of those Careers kill you."

He picked up his sickle and ran off. I put my axe into the tree and used it to help me stand up. I walked a couple steps, but then I collapsed on the ground. The pain was unbearable, I leaned against the tree and looked up at the sky. I could be at home, chopping down trees. Hanging out with Cole. Playing stupid games with Bryce. I miss home, but if I hadn't volunteered, Eve might be dead right now, an axe or a knife or a sword in her back. Her head severed from her body, her body devoured by a mutt. I want to give up right now, just give in to the gamemakers. But no, I promised them I'd win, I promised my family I would win, do it for Eve. You're almost there. I looked up at the camera that Marina spoke to earlier,

"Eve, I don't care how I do it, or how ugly it has to be, I will win for you. I promise."

And with that, I closed my eyes, and passed out.

* * *

**So how to do you like Alex becoming two-face? I'm almost to the end, only four left! Probably the next chapter will be the feast. And what's this Oliver helping Alex? Unheard of! Just wait till the final battle, which may or may not be totally epic!**

* * *

Tribute Status

**Survivors in bold**

District 1

Velvet, killed by Alex's axe

**Vulture**

District 2

**Caecilia**

Julius, neck snapped by Alex

District 3

Eliza, killed by Alex's axe

Cogg, throat slit

District 4

Marina, 5th, killed by Oliver's sickle and body burnt by acid

Luke, killed by Alex's axe

District 5

Karlie, was stabbed by Ed's spear

Brenton, was killed by one of Alex's throwing knives

District 6

Mia, eaten by The Creature

Porter, was stabbed by Alex

District 7

Alex

Oliver

District 8

Aaliyah, unknown death

Ed, stabbed by Oliver

District 9

Krysten, unknown death

Asher, unknown death

District 10

Candice, Unknown death

Landon, unknown death

District 11

Mae, unknown death

Otto, unknown death

District 12

Raven, eaten by The Creature

Bryce, stabbed by Raven's knife


	17. Chapter 17-Day 10

I woke up to Seneca Crane's voice booming, the sun was already high in the sky, I guess I must've slept through all of yesterday and half of today,

"Hello all tributes, you should all be proud that you've made it this far. There will be a feast today. You will all get something you desperately need. Good luck."

I tried to stand up, but I couldn't. In that backpack, probably was something like, medicine, bandages, maybe a peg leg or a fake foot too. I should at least try. Then, I heard bells and saw a little silver box. A sponsor gift. It landed right in front of me. I placed my fingers on the latch and opened it up. Inside was some medicine and a note,

"Here's some medicine. Take one pill a day to reduce pain." the note read, "-Johanna."

I opened the top with my good hand and put a pill on my tongue. I chugged it down with some water. The pill didn't work automaticly, but it slowly removed pain. As I tried to stand up, another thing came down from the sky in a larger box. It fell gently into my hands, but it was kind of heavy. I sat down and gently opened it to find a hollow wooden peg. I grabbed the note and read it,

"This cost a lot to get into the arena, you better win." she wrote, "slip and strap it onto your foot."

I took the peg leg out of the box and stuck out my leg. My foot was now a stub, there was nothing left of it. I still haven't seen my face either, but it felt a little less painful. I slipped the peg onto my stub of a foot and strapped it in. When I stood up, it was easier to walk. I'd just have to adjust to running and fighting with a peg leg. I grabbed my axe and backpack and began to walk forward. I stumbled and tripped a couple times, but I got used to it after a while. I began to make my way to the Cornucopia. Maybe my backpack would have an artificial foot, or some medicine that re-grows limbs. I've seen people in the Capitol use it before, or at least have heard if it. Or maybe they'll give me a new axe, or some healing medicine. Maybe something that'll help, but it'll be worth it. I used my axe to hack through bushes and vines. I looked next to me, expecting to see Raven, but she wasn't there. I always wanted to hang out with Karlee a little more before she died, maybe get to know her more. I never got to see her, only her dead body. I9 saw her once in the training center, and then never again. I got to know Raven a bit, but she died. I wonder what it's like to be eaten. The gamemakers will probably let us finish eachother off this time. Maybe District Seven will win two years in a row.

I soon reached the Cornucopia. Everyone was waiting on the outside of the arena, waiting for their first move. There were four backpacks on a table in front of the Cornucopia. One with a one, another with a two, and two with sevens on them. One was marked with an A and the other with an O. Distinguishing which belonged to which. I looked around the outskirts to see Vulture and Caecilia together. Caecilia looked ready to charge, while Vulture looked like he didn't care. Oliver was on the opposite side, waiting for someone else to make the first move. I was going to stay put, running out there is basically suicide. I looked and Vulture and Caecilia, one of them was going to run first. Vulture then drew a knife from his pants and Caecilia smiled. He was going to charge first. He and Caecilia ran out of the bushes. Oliver then ran out immediately. Vulture charged for his bag, extending his hand. But then, Oliver ran up to him and tackled him. Caecilia threw a knife at Oliver, but he pulled Vulture up and used him as a shield. The knife hit his arm, but Vulture pushed back the pain. He punched Oliver in the face and he stumbled back. Vulture grabbed his bag and he and Caecilia ran off. Oliver grabbed his backpack and mine. Without hesitation, he pulled open mine. He smiled as he looked inside. What could possibly be in there? He pulled an artificial foot out of the bag. He smiled and looked at me, waving it in the air,

"Sure gonna be hard without this!" he shouted,

He reached into one of his pockets and grabbed a match. He lit it up, dropped the foot in the bag, and lit it on fire. He dropped the bag on the ground and ran off in the direction the Careers ran off in. Oliver was going to pursue and kill them. Then after he killed them, he's going to be left with me. I ran back to my tree as fast as I could. I wanted to chase after Oliver, but I'd get killed easily. I'm still getting adjusted to my foot. I wanted to run as far as I could, but when I saw my tree, I saw something else. There were sparks and a weird feeling. The gamemakers had moved the barrier forward. We're getting less and less space, day by day. I decided to just keep walking over to the clearing of trees Karlee died in. Hopefully it isn't blocked off.

After hours and upon hours of walking, I finally found the spot. It was drenched in blood, but the bodies were gone. I began to climb the tree, grabbing different branches to pull myself up. When I got to a high enough branch, I sat down and decided to rest. I closed my eyes to rest, but I heard running and panting. I knew it was the Careers. They darted through the bushes and collapsed against my tree,

"Is Oliver back there?" asked Vulture, panting,

"I think." answered Caecilia, "we have a bit."

But a bit was sooner. Oliver came running through the bushes, but he didn't have his sickle on hand. Vulture and Caecilia just sat there, they didn't run,

"I didn't come to kill you." said Oliver, "I've come to form an alliance."

"Whaddya mean by that?" asked Vulture, "are you just going to betray us?"

"No, no, no. All I want to propose is that we make a small pact, you two can help me kill Alex, or find her, but let me kill her. Once I do, you can kill me. You two can win, as long as you just get her for me." explained Oliver, "whaddya say?"

Caecilia and Vulture talked to eachother for a bit,

"But don't you wanna win?" asked Caecilia,

"Win? I don't care about winning. I just want to kill Alex." answered Oliver, "you two can win."

"Alright." answered Caecilia, "but you have to keep your promise."

"I promise." answered Oliver, "I saw her go this way, follow me."

Oliver and the Careers can off, but my heart sped up. Now everyone in the arena is out to kill me. It's three against one, and my chances of returning home alive are getting slimmer and slimmer.

* * *

**I'm almost done! Hooray! But a secret alliance is forming, what do you think will happen?**

* * *

Tribute Status

**Survivors in bold**

District 1

Velvet, killed by Alex's axe

**Vulture**

District 2

**Caecilia**

Julius, neck snapped by Alex

District 3

Eliza, killed by Alex's axe

Cogg, throat slit

District 4

Marina, 5th, killed by Oliver's sickle and body burnt by acid

Luke, killed by Alex's axe

District 5

Karlie, was stabbed by Ed's spear

Brenton, was killed by one of Alex's throwing knives

District 6

Mia, eaten by The Creature

Porter, was stabbed by Alex

District 7

Alex

Oliver

District 8

Aaliyah, unknown death

Ed, stabbed by Oliver

District 9

Krysten, unknown death

Asher, unknown death

District 10

Candice, Unknown death

Landon, unknown death

District 11

Mae, unknown death

Otto, unknown death

District 12

Raven, eaten by The Creature

Bryce, stabbed by Raven's knife


	18. Chapter 18-The Final Battle

**No words can be said about this chapter besides the fact that this is the final battle? Who will win?**

* * *

I woke up to pain in my side. A stick poked me in the stomach. It wasn't there when I fell asleep, the barrier had gotten even closer. I grabbed a nearby twig and threw it at the barrier to test my theory. It bounced right off and fell to the ground. The sky was a light blue, and the sun wasn't high up. It was morning. I quickly ate some food and some water before dropping out of the tree. I slid down the side before hitting the ground. I'd just need to avoid being caught by the others today. If I did, I'd be as good as dead. I've made it this far, I'm not giving up.

I walked forward, the ground below my feet turned to water. I kept wading through the water as it got deeper and deeper. I looked around to see birds flying around. They had a joy-like feeling that was so real, even though it was fake. The gamemakers were like dark magicians. They can created something so real but so fake. It seems beautiful but is then covered in blood. I kept wading through the water until I found sparks, a barrier. But I'm not even halfway through the arena, have they blocked off even more land. Now we only have half of the arena. Just a small half circle to survive in. I turned around and waded backwards through the mud, reversing my path. If I'm on the move, the more difficult it would be for them to find me. And if they can't find me, they can't kill me. I kept walking forward and I soon reached land. I walked into a small clearing of bushes and I heard a sound. I grabbed my axe and stood my ground,

"Who's there?" I demanded,

Out of the bushes came a small little squirrel. It was a harmless creature, nothing that could kill me. It quickly scurried away. I turned around and kept walking, but I heard something else, behind me. I turned around to see myself face to face with Vulture, a club held high above his head, a frown stretched across his face. I tried to run but he firmly grabbed my arm and said,

"Sorry Alex, just doin' business."

He swung the club and it hit my skull, everything went black at the edges and I fell to the ground.

My eyes opened to the clearing where the Careers were last night. They had set up camp there, a tent was staked in the ground and sleeping bags were out. My vision was still blurry, and I was still trying to regain my senses. I tried to move my hand, but I noticed that they were bound together by rope. I looked up to see my arms hanging limply in the air as the rope that bound that was tied to a branch above me. My feet were bound together too and I hung a couple inches off the ground. My axe and supplies were gone, in a separate pile. When I fully regained my vision, I saw Caecilia and Vulture sitting on the ground, leaning against trees. Oliver stood upright, his sickle in hand,

"Good morning, sunshine." he spat, "glad to see you're awake."

"Really Oliver? Sending people to do your dirty work, how pathetic." I replied,

"It won't be pathetic when your corpse is lying dead on the ground." he shouted, "now let's not stall anymore and let the fun begin."

Caecilia handed him one of her daggers and he gripped it tightly in his left hand. He pulled his arm back and thrusted forward. I swung out of the way to dodge the knife and it hit the tree. Oliver grit his teeth and turned to the Careers,

"Hold her down!" he ordered,

The Careers ran up to me and held my body down against the tree so I couldn't dodge. He raised the dagger again and thrusted it into my shoulder. I bit my tongue to keep myself from screaming. Instead I smiled at him,

"You missed." I said,

"No I didn't." he replied, "I want to make you suffer for your last minutes of life."

He removed the dagger and stabbed my other shoulder, but I was already used to the pain. He pulled out the dagger and dragged it down my arms, blood erupted from them, turning my pale skin red. He did the same to my legs, and almost every inch of me was bleeding. I began to feel a little lightheaded. He grabbed his sickle and held it to my throat,

"Time to show you my killing method, I created this one especially for you." he sneered,

He motioned his sickle to the left, getting ready to slash,

"We're gonna win!" Caecilia whispered the Vulture,

But Vulture didn't respond, instead he lightened his grip on me. Vulture didn't want to do this, he wanted to help me, I smiled,

"Time to end this!" Oliver shouted,

He thrust the sickle across and towards my throat, but just as it was about to touch Vulture let go and shoved him down. He grabbed a knife and cut my ropes. I dropped down to the ground, my hands and feet free to move. I ran over to the pile and grabbed my axe, Oliver stood up,

"You fool, you backstabber!" he shouted,

Without hesitation, he thrusted his sickle towards Vulture's chest. A cannon boomed in response, Vulture was dead,

"Vulture!" Caecilia shouted,

I ran up to Oliver while he was occupied, ready to strike. He shoved me away and grabbed Caecilia by the arm. He held his sickle to her throat,

"What are you doing?" asked Caecilia, "you said you wouldn't kill me, we had a deal!"

"Oh darling, you should've known better when you made that deal." sneered Oliver, "The deal was, once I killed Alex, you could kill me, but I haven't killed her yet, therefore I can kill you."

Caecilia tried to run, but Oliver pinned her against a tree,

"But we helped you, its Vulture's fault, not mine!" she screamed,

"You two made a deal together, he failed his job, and so did you." he replied, "I'm sorry it had to come to this my dear."

Caecilia's eyes were filled with fear, "Alex, Alex help me!"

I ran forward, but Oliver kicked me down and kept me on the ground with his foot. He grinded it in my stomach, keeping me on the ground,

"Alex, please, I'm begging you, I'm sorry for everything I've done to you!" she pleaded,

"Caecilia, I would if I could, honest!" I replied, "Oliver, it wasn't her fault."

"Oh Alex, darling, you realize you both are going to die, whichever I kill first." replied Oliver, "my suggestion is that you keep quiet, it''ll be your turn soon."

Oliver raised his sickle to her throat, "Oliver no, please don't!"

But Oliver ignored her and her pleas as he slashed the sickle across her throat and shoved her to the ground. He shoved the sickle into her chest and turned it around and around, grinding her heart,

"Watch Alex, take this as an example."

She screamed in pain as the life faded from her eyes. A cannon boomed as he removed the sickle from her chest. Oliver removed his foot from my chest and I pushed myself up,

"Why did you do that?" I asked,

"Oh darling, this is just a game, it's what they want-"

"Stop calling me darling!" I shouted,

He ran up to me and placed his hand over my mouth, "Shh, they may hear you and kill you."

I slapped his hand away, "SHUT UP, THERE IS NO ONE HERE, ITS JUST US TWO. NO ONE WILL KILL US!"

"Oh, you mean like this."

He slashed his sickle down my back, not digging it in but making a long cut. I swung my axe, but he dodged out of the way,

"You know, there's lots of people who have died for this game, might as well enjoy it, might as well enjoy it, the fans, the fame. Kind of nice."

He grabbed my by the shoulders and I punched him in the stomach. I turned around to him,

"Oliver, what's wrong with you. You're a freak! You're crazy! You're a sadistic, crazy, creep!" I shouted, "I like you when you were normal!"

He smiled, "You like me?"

I ignored his comment and swung my axe at him. He dodged and slashed his sickle at me, but I parried and dodged some of his slashes, and others hit me. Oliver then got me pinned against a tree, he slashed his sickle across my chest, but not in it. I screamed as I bled, he held the sickle to my throat,

"And now, lets end this, right here, and right now!"

I had to think of something quick, or else I'd die. I quickly sweep kicked him and he fell to the ground. I pinned him down to keep him from standing up,

"Look at you Alex, a murder."

"Whaddya mean by that?" I asked,

"If you win this, you'll never go home as a hero, you'll go home as a murderer." he answered,

"So will you." I sneered,

"Alex, you've killed so many people, you'll never forget it." he replied,

"You've killed more people than me, you're a murderer. A true murderer." I said,

"Fine then Alex, kill me, kill me now. I bet you can't do it."

"Watch me."

I raised the axe over my head, but closed my eyes as I brought it down, I couldn't bare to kill another person. But I didn't hear a cannon when the axe fell. Oliver just smiled,

"I gave you a chance, Alex, I'm sorry it had to come to this."

He shoved the sickle in my chest, cracking ribs as it pierced my skin. I screamed in pain, but took no hesitation to swing the axe at him and hit him in the stomach. Blood flew everywhere, splattering all over me, but no cannons boomed. The gamemakers were as confused as I was. All I could do was look at the dying Oliver,

"Well done Alex." he said, "enjoy your victory, murderer."

The life faded from his eyes and a cannon sounded, marking his death. I tried to stand up, but I could only make it a few steps before falling to the ground,

"Congratulations to Alex Vice, victor of the-"

But I couldn't make it through the whole sentence before collapsing on the ground.

* * *

**Congratulations to Alex! This is not the end though, two more chapters are on their way. I hope you enjoyed my fanfiction, and the last two chapter which will be delivered by the end of the week. For now, I bid you farewell.**

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Tribute Status

**Survivors in bold**

District 1

Velvet, killed by Alex's axe

Vulture, stabbed by Oliver

District 2

Caecilia, killed with "Oliver's killing method." by Oliver

Julius, neck snapped by Alex

District 3

Eliza, killed by Alex's axe

Cogg, throat slit

District 4

Marina, 5th, killed by Oliver's sickle and body burnt by acid

Luke, killed by Alex's axe

District 5

Karlie, was stabbed by Ed's spear

Brenton, was killed by one of Alex's throwing knives

District 6

Mia, eaten by The Creature

Porter, was stabbed by Alex

District 7

**Alex, Victor of the 72nd Hunger Games**

Oliver, stabbed by Alex

District 8

Aaliyah, unknown death

Ed, stabbed by Oliver

District 9

Krysten, unknown death

Asher, unknown death

District 10

Candice, Unknown death

Landon, unknown death

District 11

Mae, unknown death

Otto, unknown death

District 12

Raven, eaten by The Creature

Bryce, stabbed by Raven's knife


	19. Chapter 19-Crowning Ceremony

**This one is kind of short, but the next chapter, which is the last chapter will be long and very surprising. Sorry for not posting yesterday! You will see the final chapter tomorrow. But for now, enjoy!**

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Everyone's been confused over the past few days. Nothing was seen of Alex Vice, most people suspected she was dead, some thought she was still alive. But all waited anxiously for the announcement from Seneca Crane. He stood on the balcony of the President's mansion, cameras pointed in his face,

He cleared his throat, "Upon further examination, Alex Vice is alive at the moment, you will see her tomorrow at the victory ceremony, but she is currently mentally insane, and we suggest that none of you get anywhere near her. Thank you for your convenience."

* * *

I awoke to myself in a silky, beautiful green gown and two, two feet in black flats. My hair is styled up in a bun in the back of my head. My green streak which was once faded is now completely renewed and brighter than ever. My hair is once again, decorated with leaves and a long brown scarf is wrapped around my neck that drapes to the floor. None of the members of my prep team dare to speak to me, I still have memories of the arena, and I associate each of them with it. They take joy, of all things, in styling tributes for their death, they are excited every year for the Hunger Games, just so they can coat a new slashing dummy with makeup,

"D-d-don't you w-want to look in the mirror, Alex?" asked Loleni, brave enough to speak,

"Loleni!" Varynn shouted,

"No, it's fine, I'm excited to see every single piece of crap from the arena gone." I replied,

I rolled my head up to see myself in the mirror. My face was back to normal, it was no longer melted off. All of the cuts and bruises and marks and blood were gone. I had two feet, and I was able to walk normally again. Even though I was back to normal, I was still extremely skinny, so skinny that my skin lightly stretched over my bones,

"What happened to me?" I asked, "why am I so skinny?"

"You've been out for almost three weeks now, you've lost a lot of weight in the arena and over time." answered Corfedia,

I heard footsteps and I instantly turned around, my hands grasped an invisible axe, but it was only Myles. He hugged me, but I didn't back, what did he do for me?

"C'mon Alex, let's go."

He guided me through a long hallway until I reached the end, in it was a room like the catacombs, with a pedestal that would rise onto the stage,

"Just stand right there and wait."

I walked over to the pedestal and tried to spread a smile across my face, but I couldn't. There was an awkward silence, neither of us wanted to speak to eachother, but it was broken when Caesar shouted,

"And now, the moment you have all been waiting for, Alex Vice!"

The pedestal began to move up, like the tube. A horrible flashback of the games came back and I screamed, but my screams were covered by the cheering of the crowd. I stopped cheering and walked over to the comfy white chairs, but when I wanted to scream at the memories, instead I just sat down and held my tongue,

"Now Alex, there's something I wanted to ask you at the interviews, but I ran out of time. So let's modify this question to fit your situation, how do you think Eve would feel if she saw you now?"

I knew that deep down inside, she would hate me, she would think of me as a murderer. Instead, I flashed a smile and said,

"She's probably just be happy to see me home alive."

"I see, I see, now it's time to watch the recaps."

The lights dimmed and a screen lit up behind us. The first clip they showed us was the bloodbath. It showed every single person's death, even me killing Porter. I feel so bad for it, even now. I stuck one finger up to count my kills. After the bloodbath, they moved to me meeting Mae. She was so innocent, why did she have to die. In fact, why was I so mean to her. I should've just protected her, helped her even, maybe she could go home and enjoy this. I'm not enjoying it one bit. Then it showed a clip of Raven and Karlee fighting Brenton and Ed. I finally got to see how Karlee died, Brenton hit her with his axe in her back and she died. Then it jumped ahead to me getting in the fight, throwing the knife at Brenton. Then it showed Raven hitting him with the club and the jumped to where I killed him. I stuck another finger up, two. It showed me examining Karlee's dead body and then jumped to the next day. It showed our battle with the Careers and the land mines, It also showed me killing Julius and Velvet. I stuck up two more fingers, four. It also showed me on the next day killing Luke and Eliza. I out two more fingers up, six. It was hard to resist crying at Bryce's death because the audience was tearing up. It then jumped right to Raven's death, I looked down and away from the screen, but thoughts ran through my head. I could've saved her, but I chose to be idle at her death, I chose to do nothing. It showed the mutt chasing me and the mutt chasing Mia. Her death was very similar. It showed Oliver killing Ed and me killing Marina. I stuck another finger up, seven. Then it showed Vulture clubbing me, and me awakening to Oliver and the Careers. It showed him torturing me, and then it cut to Vulture saving me. I wish Vulture didn't die, he deserves to win over everyone else. Then it showed him killing Caecilia. Lastly, it showed our battle, and it showed me killing him, and him killing me. It was a very close call, I guess the knife never made it to any of my organs and got caught in he rib cage somewhere. Either way, I won. Then the screen cut out and the lights resumed. Caesar turned to me,

"Now Alex, what are you going to do when you get home?" he asked,

"Reunite with my family." I lied, "and most importantly, see Eve again."

The reason I lied was because I wanted to stay sane. But in real life, when I get the opportunity, I'll end this misery. Caesar grabbed my arm and thrusted it up in the air,

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Alex Vice! Victor of the Seventy second Hunger Games!"

I was led offstage and as more people were interviewed I was lead to the President's deck. That was wear the crown was and all of the people associated with the games. President Snow waited there for me. I waited for Myles to finish his interview, that's when the crowning would begin. All he talked about was his ideas for my dresses and fashion, for me it was kind of boring. But when he finished I walked out onto the President's deck where people cheered. On a pillow was a crown, my victory crown. President Snow slipped the crown off the pillow and I bowed down so he could place it on my head. I gently felt it touch my head and I rolled back up,

"Congratulations." whispered Snow, "you've done well."

The crowd erupted into cheers, but I stood still with a fake smile on my face. For I would give anything and everything to throw this crown off the balcony.


	20. Chapter 20-Epilouge

**This is it! The final chapter. I hope you enjoyed this story, because I certainly enjoyed writing this for all of you. Here you go: The end of the 72nd Hunger Games**

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It's been three months since I've returned home. My family each had different reactions. My dad was happy to see me home alive, Parker was very excited and proud of me, so proud that he bragged to all of his friends. Eve has barely spoken to me though. She thinks I was stupid for volunteering, and I can't agree more. The only person keeping me happy is Cole. He tried to pretend the games never happened and I never killed eight people. Cole and I sat on my porch of the Victor's Village, laughing,

"You should've seen your face in the arena, you looked so scary that you gave my little sister nightmares!" he exclaimed,

I shot him a look, he promised never to talk about the Games,

"You know, I can kill you." I replied, "I've done it before."

Cole closed his mouth but then opened it again, "Harry missed you while you were gone, but he was rooting for you the whole time. Some days, he even brags that as your boss, he taught you your axe skills."

"How's Harry doing anyways?" I asked,

"Oh, Harry? He got lots of new workers after you won the games, he's pretty rich now." he answered,

I frowned, yet another person using me to their advantage. We sat on the porch in silence for about ten minutes before he broke it,

"You've been pretty quiet lately, what happened?" he asked, "where's the Alex I knew?"

"She got eaten by the games and spit out differently." I answered,

I heard the clocktower ring, marking five o'clock. I stood up,

"Where are you going?" he asked,

"I have dinner with Seneca Crane in a half hour, you better go." I answered,

"You bet, see ya tomorrow!" he exclaimed,

"Yeah...tomorrow." I mumbled,

I walked inside, pulling open the door. My dad was in his room, probably sleeping. Parker was watching my games, but quickly switched it when I walked in the door. Eve was cooking, but I could see more extravagant food than she usually makes. There was a turkey in the oven and she was making some steak as well,

"Parker, better straighten up, Crane'll be here any minute now." said Eve,

Parker walked out of the room and Eve turned to look at me. She said no words, turned around, and kept cooking. I walked into my room and quickly changed out of my jacket into a seafoam green silk top and white leggings. Even though it reminded me of the games, silk always felt comfy and calmed me down. There was a knock on my door,

"Alex,Seneca's here." she shouted through the door, "go meet him in the dining room."

I walked out of the room and down the hall. I noticed Peacekeepers everywhere. They were guarding the front door and the door to the dining room. I placed my hand on the doorknob but I was stopped by Eve. She lightly placed her hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes for the first time since the games,

"Don't kill Seneca in there, okay?" she asked,

I nodded, "okay."

I opened the door to see Seneca Crane in a blue suit, sitting at the other end of the table,

"Alex, do take a seat." he cooed,

I pulled up a chair and sat down, when I sat the Peacekeepers left the room to only us in private. I noticed that Eve had decorated the room with two Panem flags hanging from the back. Seneca began to eat, driving his steak knife into the steak. He shoved a bit in his mouth and chewed. When he swallowed it he cleared his throat and said,

"This food is delicious, who made it?"

"My sister, Eve." I answered,

"Oh, and that reminds me, how are you two doing?" he asked,

"Not well." I answered, "she's very upset of what I've done."

"I can see why." he replied,

"Why do you make us play the Hunger Games?" I asked,

"It's simply a reminder that you can never control us, the Capitol, and you can never rebel." he answered casually as he took another bite of steak,

"I think its more than that." I replied, "I think its just so you can have another trophy and another week of entertainment, just to keep things alive."

"Now Alex, I'll always remember that rebellious spark you have. I remember the day of your evaluation, and what you said, I personally thought you were overconfident at fist, but I soon discovered you weren't lying." he said as he twirled a wine glass around in his hand, "to be honest, I though Oliver or Caecilia would win, never you."

"Why not?" I asked,

"The Hunger Games is not a place for miracles, the underdog almost never wins. Oliver and Caecilia were the best, shame they died, would've made amazing victors."

"Why?"

"Because they have charm and charisma and interesting stories, you, you are just normal. A normal District Seven girl, one who is crazy after she comes out of the games, like all other tributes."

I slammed my hands against the table, "I am NOT normal! I robbed eight people of their lives just to survive, and now I don't even think its that worth it!" I shouted, "I'm miserable, tired, and I can't hold a single conversation with someone without the games coming up! I never wanted this! I think I'd be better off dead!"

"Alright then." mumbled Seneca, "but don't let that food go to waste, it's amazing."

"I hate you stupid Gamemakers, all you care about is food, nothing else ever crosses your mind besides thinking of death traps and arenas for next year's games!"

"Speaking of which, what do you think of a ruined cityscape idea for next year's arena. Complete with buildings and-"

"I don't care about your stupid arenas!" I shouted, "you Gamemakers are selfish, dirty pigs!"

"Ooh! And maybe toss in some mutts and vines and bricks and-"

I grabbed a knife and threw it Seneca. It found its way into the wall and I caught his attention,

"I remember when you killed Brenton with those, that was a good throw by the way-"

"Enough with these stupid games!" I shouted, "see what I mean?"

"Calm down Alex!"

"No!" I screamed, "I can't, because you have robbed me of my life, I wanted to be normal, I still want to be under the beating sun, chopping down trees for six dollars each. I want to keep being a lumberjack, I wanna hold eye contact with Eve! I want someone to go five seconds without bragging about me! I want to be able to hold a stable conversation with someone! I want, I want to be normal."

"I'm sorry Alex, but you lost that opportunity when you volunteered for the games." he said, placing another piece of steak, "you should've known better, Alex."

This is it, I'm ending this now. No more games, no more Panem, no more nothing. I grabbed the sharp steak knife from the table and held it to my chest. I loosely gripped it as I lowered the end so it just lightly touched where my heart was,

"I'm going to commit suicide, how does make you feel?" I asked him as I loosely gripped the knife,

"Fine by me." he answered, "go ahead, do it."

I looked at Seneca, shocked. I lowered the knife a bit, "Really, one of your messed up tributes, victors, trophies, tokens, you're just going to let her, just like that?"

"Alex, the moment you left that arena I had no control over you. In fact, you can do whatever you want to now. Whether it's coating yourself in makeup and moving to the Capitol or committing suicide. I don't care." he replied, "so if you're going to do it, hurry up and be my guest."

I looked at him, Crane didn't care that I was, mad, insane, crazy. He didn't care for one bit of me killing myself,

"Alright." I mumbled, "watch me."

I put the knife right on my chest, right where my heart is.

"Three."

I closed my eyes as I slowly eased it in. I thought of all twenty four tributes who died, all eight I killed. This is my apology for them, but most of all, this'll make me happy again. I kept pushing and pushing the knife in until it stuck something, my heart.

"Two."

I kept pushing it in, deeper and deeper. I bled and bled but I didn't scream. I just bit my tongue. If I started screaming, everyone would come in. Eve would try and stop me, I'd rather not draw attention.

"One."

I slowly fell to the ground, feeling my muscles go limp and my mouth unable to breath. My vision became cloudy, but I could still hear my last thoughts ringing in my head,

_So this is what it's like to die, huh? _I asked myself, _this is what eight people felt as I killed them, what Raven felt as she was eaten, Karlee as she was stabbed._

And as everything went black, I smiled. Because all of the games are behind me now, all of the fame, all of the pain, all of the misery, gone. I slowly let go of the knife and cracked my lips into a smile. I was not smiling at today, my past, but smiling at tomorrow,

"Zero."

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**Well, that was it, I'm sure you weren't expecting that ending. Oh, and , no she doesn't become a mentor. Thank you to all of my followers for sticking with it all the way. This chapter, heck this story, is dedicated to all of you. Thanks for your continued support, we had a good run. If you like Pokemon, I'm also have a fanfic for that. Also, is you like Legend of Zelda or Sword Art Online, I'm working on that as well. So stay tuned, and for now, goodbye. Thank you all so much, good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.**


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